Rajnath Singh Commissions INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, Calls Them India’s ‘Floating F-35s’
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today commissioned two state-of-the-art multi-mission stealth frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, at the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, describing them as the “invincible guardians of our seas.”
Congratulating the Navy, Mr Singh likened the indigenously built frigates to America’s advanced fighter jet. “One nation has a flying F-35, and you have built a floating F-35 — that too, made in India,” he said.
Cutting-Edge Capabilities
The Defence Minister highlighted that both warships are equipped with long-range strike weapons, supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, rocket and torpedo launchers, combat management systems, and modern fire-control technologies. He said their advanced stealth features and weapons packages make them a generational leap over earlier naval designs.
INS Udaygiri, the second ship of the Project 17A class, was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai. INS Himgiri, the first of its class constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, represents a parallel line of shipbuilding excellence. Both frigates revive the legacy of their predecessors — INS Udaygiri (F35) and INS Himgiri (F34) — which served the Navy for over three decades.
Future-Ready Navy
Mr Singh stressed the need to harness new-age technologies and modernise India’s arsenal. “In today’s era, old thinking won’t work. We must anticipate new threats and create solutions for the future. Under PM Modi’s leadership, our government has prioritised defence R&D to keep our forces future-ready,” he said.
The Minister reaffirmed India’s maritime strength, saying the Navy is fully capable of safeguarding the nation’s sea lanes. “With the commissioning of these two warships, the Indian Navy has been further strengthened as a true Blue Water Navy,” he added.
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