"India commissions sixth Project 17A stealth frigate, accelerating naval indigenisation"
Project 17A
India's class of seven advanced stealth frigates with >75% indigenous content, designed by WDB.
Acceptance of Necessity (AoN)
DAC's in-principle approval that triggers design and procurement for a capital defence acquisition.
India's quest for maritime self-reliance has deep strategic roots. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) — spanning the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and critical sea lanes connecting the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca — is central to India's trade, energy security, and geopolitical posture. Historically dependent on Soviet-origin and Western platforms, the Indian Navy began a systematic shift toward indigenous design and construction following a series of policy reforms. The Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 formalised procurement categories that prioritise domestically designed and built platforms, while successive Positive Indigenisation Lists issued by the Ministry of Defence progressively restricted imports of specified defence equipment, compelling the services to source from domestic industry.
The institutional architecture supporting this shift includes the Warship Design Bureau (WDB), the Navy's in-house design authority responsible for conceptualising and engineering warship classes, and public-sector shipyards such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) in Mumbai and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by the Defence Minister and including the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and the three service chiefs, provides in-principle approvals — called Acceptances of Necessity (AoNs) — for capital acquisitions, which trigger design and construction timelines. The government's broader target of 70% domestic procurement in defence by the mid-2020s has given these institutional mechanisms added urgency.
Project 17A is a class of seven advanced stealth frigates designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built across MDL and GRSE. They represent a generational upgrade over the earlier Project 17 (Shivalik class), incorporating superior stealth geometry, survivability features, and a more capable weapons-sensor suite. Each frigate displaces approximately 6,670 tonnes and can reach speeds of up to 28 knots. The indigenous content exceeds 75%, with contributions from over 200 Indian industries including MSMEs, making these ships a concrete demonstration of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision in high-technology defence manufacturing.
The weapons and sensor suite is multi-domain in character. Offensively, the frigates carry BrahMos supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, widely regarded as one of the most capable anti-ship missiles in service globally. Air defence is provided by the MF-STAR (Multi-Function Surveillance, Track And Guidance Radar) combined with a Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile (MRSAM) complex. …
Which one of the following is the best description of 'INS Astradharini', that was in the news recently?
Consider the following statements with reference to the Sagarmala Programme of the Government of India:
1.The Sagarmala Programme seeks to achieve port-led economic growth through cost-effective and sustainable coastal infrastructure.
2.The success of the Sagarmala Programme is reflected in significant growth in coastal and inland waterway shipping, along with improved global port rankings.
3.Sagarmala 2.0 aims to position India as a global maritime innovation hub aligned with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat 2047 visions.
Which of the following relationships among the above statements is/are correct?
1.Statement 2 validates the effectiveness of the strategies envisioned in statement 1.
2.Statement 3 extends the objectives of statement 1 by embedding them into a future-oriented innovation framework.
3.Statement 1 contradicts statement 3 by focusing only on traditional infrastructure instead of modern innovation.
Select the answer using the code given below:
With reference to Project 17A stealth frigates of the Indian Navy, consider the following statements:
1.They were designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers.
2.Each frigate carries over 75% indigenous content by value.
3.They use a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) propulsion system with a Controllable Pitch Propeller.
4.The primary air-defence radar fitted on these frigates is called USHUS.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
With reference to the BrahMos missile system fitted on Project 17A frigates, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.BrahMos is a supersonic cruise missile jointly developed by India and Russia.
2.It is classified as a surface-to-surface missile in its naval configuration.
3.BrahMos has a range exceeding 1,000 km in its standard configuration.
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