Nilgiri-class
Indian stealth frigate armed with BrahMos and Barak-8, six ships commissioned since January 2025.
| Subtype | Guided-missile frigate |
| Displacement | 6670 tons |
| Crew | 226 members |
| Width | 17.8 m (58.4 ft) |
| Length | 149.0 m (488.8 ft) |
| Propulsion | CODOG: 2 × GE LM2500+ gas turbines + 2 diesels, 2 shafts |
| Range | 2500 km at 28 knots |
| Maximum speed | 32 knots |
- 8 × BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles (VLS)
- 32 × Barak-8 (MRSAM) surface-to-air missiles
- 1 × 76 mm Oto Melara SRGM
- 2 × AK-630M CIWS
- 2 × 3 324 mm torpedo launchers
- 2 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers
- 1 × HAL Dhruv or Sea King Mk 42B helicopter
Description
The Nilgiri class, formally Project 17A, is a series of seven stealth guided-missile frigates built for the Indian Navy as an evolution of the Shivalik class (Project 17). Designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau with a significantly reduced radar cross-section and infrared signature, the ships are split between Mazagon Dock in Mumbai (four) and Garden Reach in Kolkata (three) — the largest Indian frigate programme ever run in parallel at two yards.
At 6,670 tons and 149 meters, the ships are driven by a CODOG plant pairing two LM2500 gas turbines with diesels for 32 knots. The armament is heavily indigenised: eight BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles in vertical launchers, thirty-two Barak-8 (MRSAM) air-defence missiles, a 76 mm Oto Melara gun, two AK-630M close-in weapon systems, torpedo launchers and anti-submarine rocket launchers, plus a hangar for a Dhruv or Sea King helicopter, with the MH-60R entering the fleet.
The lead ship Nilgiri commissioned in January 2025 — alongside a destroyer and a submarine in a single ceremony showcasing Indian shipbuilding — and deliveries have proceeded at a rapid clip, with six ships in service by mid-2026 and the seventh, Mahendragiri, completing. The class revives the names of the Indian Navy's first-generation Nilgiri-class (Leander) frigates and will be followed by the further-improved Project 17B.