Rajnath Singh launches frontline warships INS Surat, INS Udaygiri

Indian Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy - INS Surat and INS Udaygiri - at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Mumbai on today. INS Surat is the fourth Guided Missile Destroyer of P15B class, while INS Udaygiri is the second Stealth Frigate of P17A class.

The warships are designed by the Directorate of Naval Design (DND) and built at MDL, Mumbai. Rajnath Singh, in his address, described the warships as the Government’s "unwavering commitment to enhance the country’s maritime capability, with focus on achieving ‘Aatmanirbharta’, at a time when the world is witnessing disruption in global supply chain due to COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine conflict."

Singh stated, “INS Udaygiri and INS Surat are the shining examples of India’s growing indigenous capability. In the times to come, we will not only fulfil our own needs, but will also meet the shipbuilding requirements of the world. We will soon realise Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Make in India, Make for the World'."

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar and other senior officers from the Indian Navy and Ministry of Defence were among the dignitaries present on the occasion.

The Defence Minister made special mention of Indigenous Aircraft Carrier ‘INS Vikrant’, terming it as a major milestone in the Indian Navy's path of ‘Aatmanirbharta’. He hoped that the carrier will increase India’s reach from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean. The commissioning of ‘INS Vikrant’ will be a golden moment in the Indian defence history, he said.

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