ABG Interceptor Boat

Blank for Coast Guard

Deepak class Fleet Tanker

Update:

The first ship, Yard 6186 was launched at Fincantieri's Muggiano yard on 12Feb 2010 as INS Deepak. The trials of ''Deepak''will start in April. The delivery of INS ''Deepak'' and its commissioning is scheduled in India in the later part of 2010.

The second fleet tanker is already under construction at the fincantieri Yard of Sestre Ponente, Genoa, scheduled for delivery in 2011.

INS Deepak construction programme by Muggiano Shipyard of Fincantieri, involved three different shipyards of Fincantieri, Italy, using state-of-the-art ship construction methods and concepts with extensive parallelism and concurrent engineering to deliver the ship, in a challenging timeframe of two years. The ship is in double hull configuration which provides greater safety against accidental oil spillages in accordance with latest MARPOL regulations.

Fincantieri announced in Oct 2008 that it won an order to build a fleet tanker, with an option for another, against competetive bidding from leading international players, especially from Russia and Korea. The contract, worth about 139M Euro includes a second vessel under an option clause which was signed in March 2009.

The vessel, which will be built at the shipyards in Liguria, for delivery at the end of 2010, will be 175 metres long, 25 wide and 19 high and will have a displacement at full load of 27,500 tonnes. The ship will be powered by two 10,000 kW diesel engines which will enable it to reach a maximum speed of 20 knots and its propulsion system will feature an adjustable blade propeller. There will also be a flight deck on board for medium-heavy helicopters (up to 10 tons). The ship will accommodate up to 248 passengers – crew and supplementary personnel. Equipped with double hatches, the vessel will be able to service four ships at the same time. In accordance with the new Marpol regulations of the International Maritime Organization concerning the protection of the environment, this will be the first ship of this type to be built with a double hull thereby improving protection of the fuel tanks and avoiding the risk of pollution in case of collision or damage.

Furthermore, in August 2009 it was announced that the Indian Navy has exercised its option for a second fleet tanker which was included in the contract signed in 2008, with delivery in the last half of 2011.

According to an interview published in Defenseworld.net in May 2009, senior BEL executives stated that as part of the offsets for the first fleet tanker, Fincantieri, in 2008, placed an order worth 14.3M euros for the supply of Composite Communication System, Versatile Communication System, ESM System, Electric Opto Fire Control System and their integration on board the fleet tanker. BEL will implement this order in 2009. BEL also expects a follow on order in FY 2009-2010 for the second fleet tanker.
Fleet Tanker

Details of these tankers are:

Length, overall 175 m
Length between perpendicular 162.7 m
Breadth, moulded 25 m
Depth to flight deck (Deck 01) 19.30 m
Depth to main deck (Deck 1) 16.30 m
Full load displacement, About 27,500 t
Corresponding draft from B.L. abt. 9.1 m
Transported Useful Cargoes abt. 15,760 t
Cruise speed 16 knots
Max speed at full load 20 knots
Range at 16 knots 10,000 NM
MCR of Propulsion Diesel Engines 2x9,600 kW
Accomodation
crew + additional personnel 248
Flight Deck for operating 10 t helicopters
Double Hull, responding to the new MARPOL rules on environmental protection
Capability to refuel 4 ships at time

Currently Active Fleet Strength and Details

 

Aircraft Carriers
Project 71 Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (1 building, 1 more approved)
Kiev Class(1 [in refit])
Centaur Class (1)

Submarines

Pr.971 Nerpa (NATO Akula) - due for hand over in 2011

Arihant Class (1 fitting out + 2bldg + 2-3 planned)
Kilo Class (10 total of which two are in MLU)
HDW Class (4 of which 1 in MLU)

Destroyers
Project 15B (4 approved) 
Project 15A Kolkata Class (3 building)
Project 15 Delhi Class (3)
Rajput (SNF) Class (5)
Frigates Project 17A Class (7 approved )
Project 17 Shivalik Class (2, 1 fitting out)
Modified Krivak III Class (1 on trials, 2 building)
Talwar {Krivak III} Class (3)
Project 16A Brahmaputra Class (3)
Project 16 Godavari Class (2 active, 1 in MLU)
Nilgiri {Leander} Class (1, 1 being salvaged)
Corvettes Project 28 Class (4 building) 
Project 25A Kora Class (4)
Project 25 Khukri Class (4)
Project 1241RE Veer {Tarantul I} Class (11)
Projeact 1241PE Abhay {Pauk II} Class (4)
Offshore Patrol Vessels Naval Offshore Patrol Vessel (4 building, 5 on order)
Sukanya Class (6)
Patrol Vessels Car Nicobar (WJFAC) Class 8 in service, 2 ready for delivery
Super Dvora Mk.II Class 5 in service? + 2 others?
Bangaram Class (4 in service)
Trinkat Class (2 in service)
Mk.III Seaward Defence Boats (2 in service)
Amphibious Warfare Vessels

Austin/ Jalashwa Class LPD 1 in service

Shardul Class LSTL - 3 in service

Magar Class LSTL  - 2 in service

Mk.2/3 Landing Craft Utility 8 in service
Polnochny C/D Class LSM 4 in service

new LCU: 8 approved

new LPD: 4 approved, RFI issued in Q1, 2011

Large Replenishment Tankers

Jyoti Class 1 in service
Aditya Class 1 in service
New Deepak class AOR - 1 in sevice, 1 to be delivered before end 2011

Chartered tanker - one STUFT to be used on a temporary basis commencing July 2010

Minesweepers - Ocean Pondicherry class(Natya/SNM) - 6 in service
New MCMV : 2+ 6 approved
Survey Vessels

Makar Class 2 in service
Sandhayak Class 8 in service
50m Catamaran Class: 6 building - 2 launched in Feb, March 2010

RFI for a 85m survey cum training ship issued in May,2010

Research Vessels Sagardhwani Class 1 in service
Diving Support Vessel

Nireekshak Class 1 in service

RFI issed for 2 DSV in early 2010

Training Vessels Tir Class 1 in service
Leander Class 1 in service
new cadet training ships: 2 on order
Sail Training Vessels Tarangini class 1 in service, 1 building
Oilers Several small oilers including Ambika
Ocean Tug Matanga Class 1 in service
Harbour Tug

Gaj - 1 in service
Bhim Class 5 in service
Class Unknown 13 in service

Several under construction

Support Tankers Poshak Class 6 in service
Water Carrier 5 new Vipul SY built ships in service incl. Ambuda, Pamba
Hospital Ship Class Unknown 1 in service
Torpedo Recovery Vessel TRV - 2 in service
Diving Tender Class Unknown 3 in service

Car Nicobar Class

Vessel Type: Water Jet Fast Attack Craft.

Names & Pennant Numbers with commission dates:

INS Car Nicobar T69 (Yard 2057); Laid Down - 27 Jan 2007, Launch - 23 November 2007, Commissioning - 16 Feb 2009.

INS Chetlat T70 (Yard 2058); Laid Down - 27 Jan 2007, Launch - 27 November 2007, Commissioning - 16 Feb 2009.

INS Car Nicobar

INS Chetlat

WJFAC

Cankarso & Kondul commissioning

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INS Kabra commissioning

 

 

 

 

 

INS Cora Divh (ex Cinque) T71 (Yard 2059); Laid Down - 29 Aug 2007, Launch - 16 July 2008, Commissioning - 10 Sep 2009.

INS Cheriyam T72 (Yard 2060); Laid Down - 29 Aug 2007, Launch - 16 July 2008, Commissioning - 10 Sep 2009

INS Cankarso T73 (Yard 2061); Keel Laid - 29 July 2008, Launched - 27 March 2009, Commissioning - 29 June 2010

Kondul T74 (Yard 2062); Keel Laid - 29 July 2008, Launched - 27 March 2009, Commissioning - 29 June 2010

Kalpeni T75 (Yard 2063); Keel Laid - 29 July 2008, Launched - 27 March 2009, Commissioning - 14 October 2010

Kabra T76 (Yard 2064); Keel Laying - March 2009, Launching - 29 March 2010, Commissioning - 08 June 2011.

Koswari T77(Yard 2065); Keel Laying - March 2009, Launching - 29 March2010, Delivery: 27 May 2011 Commissioning - 12 July 2011

Future Commissions:



Karuva T78 (Yard 2066); Keel Laying - March 2009, Launching -
29 March2010, Commissioning - October- December 2010 --->July/Aug 2011?

Displacement: 288 tons/ 325 tons full load.

Dimensions: Length - 48.90 metres, LOA .approx. 52m
................Moulded Depth - 4 metres.

Main Machinery: Triple Hamilton HM811 water jet units coupled with three MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines, capable of producing 8,160 kw (11,238 hp) of power.

Maximum Speed: >35 knots.

Maximum Range: 2000 nautical miles at 12 - 14 knots.

Complement: Four officers, 35 sailors.

Weapons: One CRN-91 (naval version of the 2A42 30mm Medak gun), which is controlled by an electro-optic fire control system developed & jointly produced by the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). Heavy Machine Guns, Light Machine guns, Igla SAM.

Radar: Furuno navigation.

Comments: These vessels are an improved version of the Fast Attack Craft (FAC) earlier constructed by GRSE (Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers) with a more efficient hull-form design and has been proven after extensive model testing to achieve speed in excess of 35 knots. These ships will stay close to the coastline and be used mainly for patrolling and rescue operations. Rear Admiral T S Ganeshan (Retd) - the Chairman & Managing Director of GRSE - stated, "The ships have submarine warfare capability and are not vulnerable themselves." This would indicate a sonar fit and anti-submarine warfare weaponry, such as torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets. The first vessel - Car Nicobar - has been named after the northernmost of the Nicobar Islands. The second vessel - Chetlat - has been named after the northernmost of the Lakshwadeep Islands and was launched by Mrs Beena Suthan, the wife of Vice Admiral Raman Prem Suthan - the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command. These are the first warships to be built at the built at the Rajabagan Dockyards purchased by GRSE in July 2006.

Navy/PIB Press Release prior to commissioning of Car Nicobar and Chetlat

In a unique event, on 16 Feb 09, the Indian Navy will commission two ships, INS Carnicobar & INS Chetlat on the same day. These would be the first two in a series of ten Water Jet fast attack ships being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata. The ships are being commissioned at Chennai by the Hon’ble Governor of Tamil Nadu, Shri Surjit Singh Barnala and are the first ever water jet propelled ships of the Indian Navy. The commissioning marks another step in the direction of indigenisation of the Navy’s ship building efforts.

These fast attack crafts are named after pristine islands located in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep respectively and will be based at Chennai thereby strengthening coastal security of the region. These fast attack crafts are most suited for interception of fast moving surface crafts apart from performing anti smuggling, fisheries protection, as well as search and rescue operations where time is of paramount importance.
These are the two ships of a new generation of ten Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts, designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata. They are an improvement upon the earlier version of the Fast Attack Crafts, with a more efficient hull form developed indigenously. The Fast Attack Crafts can achieve speeds in excess of 35 knots.

The Hamilton HM 811 waterjets of these ships are coupled with latest generation MTU 16V 4000 M90 engines with a combined propulsion power of 8160KW. The modified Aluminium superstructure of the vessels, reduces their Radar Cross Sections (RCS) and also provides improved habitability. A Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants allow for fresh water generation increasing vessel endurance while the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) complies with the latest International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regulations on sea pollution. The armament includes the 30mm CRN-91 Gun along with sensors manufactured by Ordnance Factory, Medak. The ships are equipped with IGLA missiles, SLRs, HMGs and LMG/MMG in their armament fit. These features are an up-dation over ships of the previous class and the current version of design is comparable with similar ships, built across the world.

The first pair are restricted to speeds of 27 knots because of problems with their gearboxes. Delivery of the 2nd pair has been delayed because gearbox problems need to be rectified by the vendor, KPCL. 

on Sep10, 2009 West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi commissioned INS Cora Divh and INS Cheriyam at GRSE. INS Cheriyam and INS Cora Divh, are commanded by Commander Sudip Malik, and Commander N Hariharan respectively both specialists in Gunnery and Missiles.

INS Cankarso and INS Kondul were commissioned at Vishakapatnam on Tuesday, 29June 2010.  Both ships will be based in Goa and tasked with the role of detecting, locating and destroying small, fast-moving enemy surface craft engaged in covert operations. INS Cankarso is commanded by Lt Cdr Arun Bahuguna and INS Kondul by Lt Cdr Shashidhar R. Patil. The two ships have 45 sailors and four officers on board.

INS Kalpeni was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Thursday, October 1, 2010 by Hon’ble Mr Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Chief Justice, High Court of Kerala at Naval Base Kochi. INS Kalpeni would operate under the Flag Officer Commanding in Chief Southern Naval Command and based at Kochi. The Ship commanded by Lieutenant Commander Subhal Nathan has a crew of 3 officers and 38 sailors onboard.

INS Kabra was commissioned on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 by Vice Admiral KN Sushil, FOC-in-C, Southern Naval Command at Naval base Kochi. The ship, with a crew of 3 officers and 39 sailors is commanded by Commander Bandhul .

Kabra, Koswari and Karuva have ZF gearboxes in place of KPCL units as well as additional modifications based on feedback from the Navy.

GRSE delivered Yard 2065 on 27 May 2011 and expects ot deliver Yard 2066 by end June.

Project 17 (Shivalik) Class

Project Update:

Shivalik (Yard12617) was handed over to the Navy by MDL on 30March2010 and commissioned on 29April2010. Her commissioining CO is Captain MD Suresh.

Satpura (Yard 12727) is set to be commissioned on August 20, 2011 - several months after the planned commissioning in November, 2010

Sayhadri (Yard 12737) is in the final stages of fitting out. Delivery is set for late 2011 with a commissioning in early 2012.


Vessel Type: Multi-Mission Frigate.

Commissioning dates:

Shivalik F47 (ex Yard 12617); Laid Down - 11 July 2001, Launched - 18 April 2003, Commissioning - 29 April 2010

Satpura F48 (Yard 12727); Laid Down - 31 Oct 2002, Launched - 04 June 2004, Commissioning - planned for Nov 2010, then July 2011, now August 20, 2011

Sahyadri F49 (Yard 12637); Laid Down - 17 March 2003, Launched - 27 May 2005, Commissioning - planned for May 2011.


Displacement: 5300 tons - standard displacement, 6115-6200 tons - full load.

Dimensions: Length - 142.5 metres.
.................Beam - 16.9 metres.
.................Draught - 4.5 metres.
.................Moulded Depth - 9.2 metres.

Maximum Speed: 30+ knots for GT operations. Maximum cruising speed of 22 knots on diesels.

Complement: 257 (incl. 35 officers)


The Project 17 (P17) standard frigate (and the follow-on P-17A) will be the Indian Navy's new stealthy multi-role surface combatant for the 21st century. Cabinet approval for this project was given in 1997, followed by a Letter of Intent (LoI) to the ship's builders, Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in February 1998. The Indian Navy formally ordered the first three units in early 1999. However, production commenced about two years later due to delays resulting from specification changes to the hull steel and protracted delivery schedule of the Russian-sourced D-40S steel along with the non-availability of design inputs from the Naval Design Bureau (NDB) for the weapons suite. Construction of the first P17 frigate, Yard 12617, commenced with plate cutting on 18 December 2000, keel laying  on 11 July 2001, and launching on 18 April 2003.

The P17 was conceived entirely by the naval architects at DND circa 1994 and, contrary to what has been written earlier on these pages, it is completely Indian and predates that of the Russian P1135.6 Talwar {Krivak III} Class frigates by some years. Russia's Severnoye Project Design Bureau (Severnoye Proyektno-Konstruktorskoye Bjuro - SPKB) was responsible for the weapons integration on the P-17.

The reason for the similar appearance of the Talwar and P-17 is two fold: DND provided guidance to SPKB for Radar Cross Section (RCS) reduction studies for the Pr.1135.6 design. Secondly, since the weapons package was very similar for both ships, the forward arrangements are similar. Other than that, the two ships are very different.

These ships are approximately 143 meters long, with a beam of 17 meters. Displacement is greater than initial estimates by almost 800 tons. Maximum speed is 30+ knots. With respect to the P1135.6 design, the P17 is about 17 metres longer, 2 metres wider and displaces about a thousand tons more. Other important differences are in the propulsion system (CODOG vs. COGOG), number of embarked helicopters (two vs. one) and in the combat systems i.e weapons, sensor and CAIO suite.

CAE (now L-3 India) acted as the overall platform functional integrator, which is a landmark since this is the first time a Western company has been put in charge of a vital Indian Navy project. Alsthom of France was engaged as the Propulsion System  (PSI) but this deal fell though for various reasons. In the end, MDL had to learn to do this critical task themselves. The learning curve was steep and there were delays but the shipyard has gained very valuable expereince and critical skill sets in the process.

The vessel's complement is around 257 (including 35 officers), which is a considerable improvement over present Indian Navy surface combatants of similar tonnage and results from the use of increased automation of many shipboard equipment and systems.

Signature Reduction

The P17 has far more signature reduction features than previously seen on Indian Navy warships. Because of its relatively cluttered upperworks, topside RCS has been minimized to the extent possible given the existing weapon/sensor configuration. However, much effort has gone into signature management of IR, acoustic, vibration and magnetic signatures.  Canada's Davis Engineering provided Infra-Red Suppression System (IRSS) design tools & training to the Indian Navy for the P17 ships and this will help the ships in having a lower IR (infra-red) signature. The Canadian IRSS is the most effective IR signature reduction device in service today. The German RAMSES Radar Cross Section (RCS) prediction software was used to optimize the RCS signature for this design. UK's DERA was appointed consultant ofr underwater noise studies. All machinery is mounted on noise and vibration proof mounts to reduce acoustic and vibration signatures. RAM, ROOT and RTM have been used extensively.

Propulsion & Machinery Systems

The vessel features a CODOG (COmbined Diesel Or Gas Turbine) propulsion plant featuring two General Electric LM 2500 IEC (Integrated Engine Controls) Marine Gas Turbines and two S.E.M.T. Pielstick 16 PA6 STC diesel engines driving two Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP) through two Renk gearboxes.

The CPP and associated shafting are being supplied by John Crane-LIPS (Netherlands) through their Indian partner, Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL). The LM2500 plant is rated at approximately 18,000 kW (24,000+ hp) and would be assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL). The Pielstick 16 PA6 STC is a sequentially turbo-charged 16 cylinder engine rated at a maximum power of 5700 kW (7600+ hp) at 1084 rpm while fulfilling strict requirements in terms of environmental conditions, ship attitude, shock, noise, vibrations and emissions.

The order for the first three ship sets of two 16 PA6 STC engines was placed by MDL to the Pielstick Indian licensee, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd. (KOEL) at the beginning of 2000. The first two engines will be manufactured in France by S.E.M.T. Pielstick, while the subsequent engines will be manufactured in India by KOEL in their Nasik engine plant. Steering gear and stabilizers are supplied by Veljan Hydair.

Renk of Germany supplied the gearboxes through their Indian partner, Elecon. This is understood to be a breakthrough for Renk since the Indian Navy uses gearboxes from their competitor, MAAG. Designed to reduce the structure borne noise levels to evade sonar detection, this is the first gearbox built in India to such high standards. The gearbox transmits 22.37 MW from gas turbine in combat mode and transmits 5.18 MW from diesel engine in cruising mode.

Each frigate has four WCM 1000/5 DG sets (providing four megawatts of power) comprising Cummins KTA50G3 diesel engines and one Kirloskar AC generator (providing 1 MW of power), mounted in IACL supplied acoustic enclosures. These plants will be considerably more sophisticated than the units supplied for the Talwar Class.  Wartsila India Limited was awarded a contract by MDL for twelve 1 MW DG sets with enclosures for the three frigates. These shipsets were delivered to MDL at the rate of one per year commencing 31 October 2002.


The DG sets were assembled at Wartsila Khopoli Plant. All the components of the DG sets are bought-out items. Engines are being procured from Cummins' Pune plant, alternators are from KEC Bangalore plant and acoustic enclosures are being procured from IAC Limited, U.K. Other peripherals are being procured from Wartsila Denmark. The integration, assembly and 'Factory Acceptance Test' was done at Khopoli under Wartsila Denmark's supervision. The assembled sets were then shipped to MDL.

These DG units will be housed in special acoustic enclosures supplied by IAC Ltd. In addition to containing the noise emissions of the diesel generators sets, the enclosures have an exceptionally lightweight design and are fully able to withstand severe shock loadings - both essential features in a military environment. Rapid, all-round access to the diesel generators is another key requirement. IAC has therefore developed an ingenious new captive sliding assembly to support all of the enclosure's side wall panels, allowing them to be removed and stowed safely to one side in just a few seconds. IAC worked closely with Wartsila (Denmark and India), the Indian Navy itself and MDL for this program.

Switchboards for the machinery and electrical systems are being supplied by G.E. Power Controls in Bangalore.
Larsen & Toubro Engineering provides the helicopter land grid for the vessel, which is a local derivative of the French Samahé helicopter handling system.

IPMS

In October 2001, CAE of Canada was awarded a contract by MDL and the Indian Navy to act as the overall platform functional integrator and supplier of the Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS) for the three P17 Class frigates. CAE India and CAE Montreal will jointly manage this program jointly. One hopes that MDL will use this opportunity to acquire state-of-the-art technologies and methods and use them well for the next generation of warship designs.

The IMCS uses CAE's Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) technology to monitor and control the platform machinery of a ship, including propulsion, electrical, damage control and auxiliary machinery and other systems. It also provides advanced automation for enhanced operational effectiveness and survivability of the ship. It also provides advanced functionality such as on-board training, equipment health monitoring and comprehensive automation for enhanced operational effectiveness and survivability of the ship. CAE's IPMS is the world's first and leading digital control system for naval ships. The state-of-the-art system represents a significant step for the Indian Navy. In the meanwhile, CAE has recently delivered an electronic Gas Turbine Controller to HAL to test the General Electric LM 2500 IEC Marine Gas Turbines.

The Battle Damage Control System (BDCS) is a functional part of the IPMS although the actual hardware may not quite be on a par with the latest Western warships. However, the Damage Control system is much improved over current Indian Navy combatants.

Armament

The main gun on the P17 is a 76.2 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) made under license from OTO Melara of Italy. In the air defence role, a combination of missiles and guns will be used. For medium range anti-air coverage, a single 3S-90 launcher mount for the Shtil 1 SAM system with 24 missiles is employed. The Shtil SAM system fires the 9M317E missile. Maximum engagement are greater than 32 km. For anti-ship missiles, the maximum engagement range is reduced to 10 to 12 km. Four targets can be simultaneously engaged, one with each 3R90 director.

For the CIWS (Close In Weapon System) role, the ship was originally designed for two Kashtan Air Defence Gun/Missile mounts but this has since been superseded by the now standard Barak + AK 630M comination. 

As with the Talwar Class, long range strike weapons are Klub-N family of missiles in eight vertical launch cells. For ASW, twin RBU-6000 launcher firing 90R and RGB-60 rockets are fitted. Curiously, there are no onboard torpedo launchers. Given the flexibility of the Klub system, it is entirely possible that 91RE2 ASW missile may be employed for anti-submarine operations. Two Sea King sized helicopters can be embarked for ASW and ASuW duties.

Sensors

The sensor suite is primarily comprised of Russian, Israeli, and Indian equipment. The main air search and targeting radar for the Shtil SAM system is a foremast-mounted MR-760 Fregat M2EM 3-D air search radar. Fire control guidance and target illumination for the Shtil SAM system is provided by four 3R-90 Orekh (NATO: Front Dome) radars. Fire control for the 76mm SRGM and the CIWS is provided by two Elta EL/M 2221 directors - mounted atop the bridge and aft on a platform atop the hangar. Fire control radar for the SSMs is by a Garpun Bal. A new Israeli radar, the long range version of the Elta 2238,  AMDR-ER is fitted. One mast mounted Bharat Electronics EON-51 EO director for gunfire control as well as two M22E telesights for the Shtil system are fitted.

The sonar suite has a BEL made HUMSA (Hull Mounted Sonar Array) and an ATAS, which may be a derivative of the Thales Sintra towed array systems. Composite engineering defence contractor W & J Tod Limited of the United Kingdom secured a second major contract in 2004 from the Indian Navy to build keel-mounted sonar domes for the Project 17 frigates.

This latest contract was a follow-up to the Shivalik contract awarded in January 2003. The company announced that it was awarded two separate contracts to build sonar domes, fairings and directing gear for the P17 frigates. The company has worked with the Indian Navy on the development of composite and stealth components.

Electronic warfare (EW) suite is the powerful Ellora system with active jamming capability against multiple threats. Ellora is replacing the Ajanta EW family on IN vessels. The Kavach decoy launchers are locally designed and built by OFB.

Navigation systems comprise two BEL RASHMI (Radar Aid for InSHore and Harbor Manoeuvring in I-band) and three COTS navigation radars.  Transas ECDIS is standard on these and other Navy ships.

AISDN
A notable feature on these ships is the completely integrated ship data and communication management network.  AISDN-17 ties in all shipboard functions using several Versatile consoles -VCS Mk2. The communication grid is built around a Gigabit Ethernet-based integrated ship borne data network, with a fibre optic cable backbone running through the vessel.

The Combat Management System (CMS-17) is a locally developed system (by WESEE) with stand alone Russian consoles that connect to the CMS though interface units. The architecture of CMS-17 is a major improvement over legacy Indian developed systems

A large portion of the communications system, CCS Mk2, is of Indian origin with equipment coming from BEL and elsewhere. A Link 2 datalink is standard equipment.

Habitability
Habitability standards are luxurious to the extent that the modular Godrej- Boyce supplied living quarters are spacious, and heads (washrooms)  are very well appointed, much like a boutique hotel.

Indigenization
It is clear that considerable effort has been made to transfer technologies from foreign partners to Indian companies. However, one must take statements regarding the level of indigenization, typically 60-70%, on board the P17 frigates with a grain of salt.  In any project of this magnitude, it is helpful to keep in mind that the process of indigenization is a gradual one and is certainly dependent on how one defines 'Indian made equipment'. If one were to adhere to the definition of indigenous equipment as 'designed & made in India', then very little of the equipment would qualify as such.

All in all, this is a very capable warship. It is a generation ahead of extant warships in Indian naval service. It's design also serves as a basis for future surface combatants going forward. It will be more than adequate to counter regional threats and to protect India's vital sea lanes.