India has taken another decisive step in bolstering its maritime power with the commissioning of two new indigenously built stealth frigates – INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri – both armed with the supersonic BrahMos missile system. The warships were officially inducted into service on August 26, during a ceremony led by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh at the Eastern Naval Command base in Visakhapatnam.

The induction of these frigates marks a significant milestone in India’s quest to modernize its navy and project power across the Indian Ocean region (IOR), an area of increasing geopolitical contestation. Singh hailed the commissioning as a moment of national pride, emphasizing that these vessels will serve as “force multipliers” for the Indian Navy, ensuring deterrence and readiness against potential threats.

Part of the Nilgiri-class stealth guided missile frigates, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri incorporate state-of-the-art technologies designed to ensure survivability in modern warfare. According to the Indian Defense Ministry, the ships feature advanced stealth characteristics to reduce radar cross-section, sophisticated electronic warfare suites, high-performance surveillance radars, and rapid-fire gun systems capable of neutralizing both aerial and surface threats.

At the core of their strike capability lies the BrahMos missile system, developed under the Indo-Russian joint venture BrahMos Aerospace. The supersonic cruise missile, capable of traveling at speeds of up to Mach 3, is regarded as one of the fastest precision-guided weapons in the world. With a strike range of over 290 kilometers – extendable in........

© Blitz