NEWS : Union Defence Ministerh recently launched two frontline warships of the Indian Navy – ‘Surat’ and ‘Udaygiri’ – at Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL).

INS SURAT: A PROJECT 15B DESTROYER

• ‘INS Surat’ is the fourth ship of Project 15B Destroyers. The first one, INS Visakhapatnam joined the Indian Navy last year i.e. 2021 while the remaining two, INS Marmugao and INS Imphal, are undergoing trials.
• The ship is built using the Block construction methodology which involved hull construction at two different geographical locations and then assembled together at MDL, Mumbai.
• It is named after the commercial capital of the state of Gujarat, Surat.  
• Surat has a rich ship-building history and vessels built in the city in the 16th and 18th centuries were known for their longevity over the centuries
• The Project 15B class of ships are the next-generation stealth guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy, being built at the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), which are follow-on class of the weapon intensive P15A (Kolkata Class) Destroyers.

INS UDAYGIRI: A PROJECT 17A FRIGATE

• ‘Udaygiri’ is the reincarnation of erstwhile ‘Udaygiri’, the Leander Class ASW Frigate.
• It is named after a mountain range in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
• It is the third ship of Project 17A Frigates.
• P17A Frigates are warships that are follow-on class of the P17 (Shivalik Class) Frigates with improved stealth features, advanced weapons & sensors and platform management systems.