Project 17 Shivalik-class frigate
Also called: Shivalik class, Project 17, Project 17A · Topic: Transport and Communication in India · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Project 17 is the Indian Navy programme that produced the Shivalik class, a set of three guided-missile stealth frigates. A frigate is a mid-sized warship that escorts and protects other ships. "Guided-missile" means it carries missiles that steer themselves to a target. "Stealth" means the ship's shape is designed so enemy radar finds it harder to spot. The three ships are INS Shivalik, INS Satpura and INS Sahyadri. They joined the Navy one after another between 2010 and 2012. They were designed and built in India, so they show India's growing skill in building its own warships under the Aatmanirbhar (self-reliance) push.
Example
INS Sahyadri, the third ship of the class, was commissioned (formally put into service) on 21 July 2012 at Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai, Maharashtra. It serves in the Navy's Eastern Fleet. It has sailed far from India for exercises, including the India–Republic of Korea Navy exercise at Busan and MALABAR 2026 at Yokosuka, Japan.
Don't confuse with
- Project 17A: the newer, improved class of stealth frigates that followed Project 17, for example Udaygiri. It is a separate class, not another name for the Shivalik ships.
- Kolkata-class destroyer: a destroyer is a larger warship. INS Kolkata has sailed alongside INS Sahyadri, but Sahyadri is a frigate, not a destroyer.