Mahendragiri is the seventh and last stealth frigate of Project 17A being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. It is named after a mountain peak in the Eastern Ghats located in the state of Odisha. The warship was launched on September 1, 2023, by Sudesh Dhankhar, wife of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar.

Mahendragiri is a 7,500-tonne warship with a length of 149 meters and a beam of 17 meters. It is powered by four gas turbines and has a top speed of 28 knots. The warship is equipped with a variety of weapons and sensors, including the BrahMos missile, the AK-630 naval gun, and the S-70B Seahawk helicopter.

Mahendragiri is a significant addition to the Indian Navy’s fleet. It is a technologically advanced warship that will boost the Navy’s capabilities in the maritime domain. The warship’s launch is also a major step in India’s defence indigenisation programme.

Nilgiri and Himgiri were launched in 2019 and 2020. Udaygiri, Dunagiri, Taragiri and Vindhyagiri have been launched since May 2022. The launch of the seventh and last ship — Mahendragiri — will mean five launches of the same class warships in about 15 months.

All Nilgiri-class ships are scheduled to be commissioned between 2025 and 2027.

Some of the key features of Mahendragiri

• **Stealth features: **The warship has been designed with stealth features to make it less visible to radar and other detection systems. This will make it more difficult for enemies to target the warship.
• **Advanced weapons and sensors: **The warship is equipped with a variety of advanced weapons and sensors, including the BrahMos missile, the AK-630 naval gun, and the S-70B Seahawk helicopter. These weapons and sensors will give the warship a significant edge in combat.
• **Platform management systems: **The warship is equipped with state-of-the-art platform management systems that will allow it to operate efficiently and effectively. These systems will also help to improve the warship’s survivability in combat.

The launch of Mahendragiri is a major milestone in the development of the Indian Navy. The warship is a symbol of India’s growing maritime power and its commitment to self-reliance in defence.

What was the cost to build it?

The cost to build Mahendragiri is not publicly available. However, the cost of building the other six ships in the Project 17A class ranged from ₹3,000 to ₹3,500 crores (US$400 to US$475 million). Based on this, it is estimated that the cost to build Mahendragiri would be in the same range.

The cost of building a warship depends on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the ship, the materials used, and the labor costs. The Project 17A class frigates are some of the most advanced warships in the Indian Navy, and they are made with high-grade materials. This would have contributed to the high cost of building these ships.

The Indian government has been working to reduce the cost of building warships by increasing indigenisation. This means that more of the components of the ships are being manufactured in India, which reduces the reliance on imported components. This has helped to reduce the cost of building warships, but it is still a significant expense.