India marked a significant milestone in its maritime self-reliance drive on Monday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned three new vessels into the Indian Navy — INS Dunagiri, INS Agray, and INS Sanshodhak — at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata.
All three ships were designed by the Indian Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), a Kolkata-based public sector undertaking. The simultaneous commissioning of three naval vessels at a single ceremony underscored the pace of India’s indigenous defence manufacturing push under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
INS Dunagiri is a stealth-capable Project 17A frigate — the third in the class after INS Nilgiri and INS Himgiri. It is equipped with advanced sensors, vertical launch missile systems, torpedo tubes and a helicopter deck, and will operate as a principal surface combatant in the Western Naval Command.
INS Agray is a guided missile corvette optimised for anti-submarine warfare. The vessel carries hull-mounted sonar, variable depth sonar, and is fitted to deploy both rocket-propelled and conventional torpedoes, addressing the Navy’s growing concern about undersea threats in the Indian Ocean region.
INS Sanshodhak is an advanced hydrographic survey vessel — the first of a new class. Equipped with multi-beam echo sounders, side-scan sonar, and oceanographic winches, it will chart India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and support allied nations under India’s SAGAR maritime policy.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Prime Minister Modi described the ships as “a symbol of New India’s technological confidence” and said the Navy aimed to have 70 percent of its fleet built domestically by 2030.
GRSE has now delivered over 100 naval vessels to the Indian Navy, Coast Guard and allied navies, making Monday’s event a milestone both for India’s operational strength and for its defence industrial base.
Leave a Reply