In a historic milestone for the country's Aatmanirbharta, journey, two warships, adestroyer(Surat)and a frigate (Nilgiri) were delivered to the Indian Navy on 20 Dec 24. The ships have been designed and constructed indigenously by the Warship Design Bureau of the Indian Navy and M/s MDL, respectively. This is in keeping with the thrust, given by the Government of India and the Indian Navy, on nation-building through self-reliance. The simultaneous induction of two state-of-the-art men of war will significantly enhance the operational capabilities and combat readiness of the Indian Navy.

Yard 12707 (Surat), the fourth and final Project 15B stealth-guided missile destroyer, follows in the wake of her predecessors IN Ships Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, and Imphal commissioned in the past three years. The delivery of Surat culminates the iconic indigenous destroyer building project of the Indian Navy, which began with Project 15 (three Delhi class, 1997-2001), followed by Project 15A (three Kolkata class, 2014-2016) and Project 15B (four Visakhapatnam class, 2021-2024). Being a guided missile destroyer with a displacement of 7,400 tons and an overall length of 164meters, Surat is a potent and versatile platform equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and sensors, including surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship missiles, and torpedoes. Powered by a Combined Gas andGas (COGAG) propulsion set, comprising four gas turbines, she has achieved speeds over 30knots (56 km/h) during her sea trials. It is also poised to be IN’s first Al-enabled warship utilizing indigenously developed Al solutions which would enhance its operational efficiency manifolds.

The newly designed ships are also being built using the ‘Integrated Construction’ philosophy, which involves extensive pre-outfitting at the Block stages to reduce the overall build periods. The ships are powered by two Combined Dieselor Gas (CODOG) main propulsion plants, each comprising a Diesel Engine and Gas Turbine, driving a Controllable Pitch Propeller (CPP). The ships also have a state-of-the-art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS). The ships are fitted with a supersonic surface-to-surface missile system, medium-range surface-to-air Missiles system, 76 mm Upgraded Gun, and a combination of rapid-fire close-in weapon systems.

The delivery of the vessels showcases the nation's design, ship construction, engineering prowess, and industrial know-how. The delivery also reinforces IN’s unrelenting focus on Aatmanirbharta in both ship design and shipbuilding. In keeping with the current thrust on nation-building through self-reliance, the vessels have 75% indigenization content with orders on a myriad of indigenous firms including MSMEs (more than 200 in each shipyard). The projects have boosted self-reliance, economic development, employment generation, growth of MSMEs, and ancillary ecosystem in the country.