'Himgiri', the first of the three Project 17A ships being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkatta made her first contact with the waters of Hoogly River on Monday. At 13:35 Hours on December 14, 2020 she made her first contact with the waters of Hoogly River at the launch ceremony, with Chief of Defence Staff, General Bipin Rawat as the Chief Guest and his spouse Smt Madhulika Rawat launched the ship following Vedic traditions.
Under the Project 17A program, a total of seven ships, four at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and three ships at GRSE are being built. These ships are built with enhanced stealth features, advanced indigenous weapon and sensor fit along with several other advanced improvements. The launch of ‘Himgiri’ has showcased GRSE’s commitment towards the building of three state-of-the-art warships of P17A for Indian Navy. GRSE has emerged as a leading shipyard having built over 100 ships over the years. The yard has improvised its infrastructure and skill sets to meet new challenges in building of P17A ships. P17A ships are the first gas turbine propulsion and largest combat platforms ever built at GRSE.
Project 17A has upheld India’s vision for Atmanirbhar Bharat since its inception and are indigenously designed by Directorate of Naval Design (Surface Ship Design Group) - DND(SSG), and are being built at indigenous yards namely MDL and GRSE. Project 17A ships sources 80% of the material/ equipment required for the project from indigenous vendors and with employment generation for over 2000 Indian firms and MSMEs within the country.
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