Visakhapatnam: The Indian Navy on Saturday inducted the indigenously built advanced stealth frigate INS Mahendragiri into its Eastern Fleet during a ceremony held in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh presided over the commissioning ceremony.
Addressing the event, Rajnath Singh described INS Mahendragiri as a symbol of India’s growing self-reliance in defence manufacturing and shipbuilding. He said the warship reflects the country’s advanced design capabilities, manufacturing excellence and the rapid expansion of the indigenous naval-industrial ecosystem.
INS Mahendragiri is the sixth Project 17A stealth frigate to be inducted into the Indian Navy within a span of just 18 months. The Project 17A programme began with the commissioning of INS Nilgiri in January 2025, followed by INS Udaygiri, INS Himgiri, INS Taragiri and INS Dunagiri.
Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai, INS Mahendragiri is equipped to undertake a wide range of maritime operations, including fleet air defence, anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, maritime surveillance, maritime interdiction, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions.
The induction of the warship marks another milestone in India’s efforts to strengthen its naval capabilities through indigenous defence production under the country’s self-reliance initiative.
