Indian Navy to get second indigenous stealth frigate
The second Shivalik class frigate will be commissioned on August 20 by Defence Minister A K Antony, said a navy spokesperson. Antony had commissioned the first ship, INS Shivalik, last April.
The third ship in the line, INS Sahayadri, is likely to be inducted into the service in another nine months. Each ship is priced upwards of Rs 2,500 crore.
India currently operates three Russian stealth frigates (Talwar class) and has ordered three more from Russia. The first one is likely to be delivered next week.
The stealth features—reduced radar signature—come from changed geometry of the top, few projections in the upper deck, less heat and magnetic signatures and diminished noise vibration.
India plans to design and develop seven more similar warships in Mazgaon Dock in Mumbai and Garden Reach ship builders in Kolkata.
While Satpura is being commissioned nearly four years after its launch in water, manufacturing seven more stealth frigates will be a long-drawn affair.
The designers are yet to freeze the design and the final project is yet to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security though it was cleared by the defence ministry.
The indigenous stealth frigate programme had been plagued with delay since the beginning. Navy placed an order for three stealth frigates under Project-17 way back in 1999.
But it was holed up for years due to delays in getting the design inputs for weapons suite, changes in the hull steel specifications, and delivery of high-strength D-40S steel from Russia.
To overcome the steel problems, the required high-grade steel was indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Steel Authority of India.
The 6200-tonne Satpura which measures 142.5 metre from bow to stern will have Israeli Barak surface-to-air missile and Russian Klub cruise missile along with the torpedoes, anti-submarine missile and two helicopters which will soon be seen public.