Name Nilgiri class Operators Indian Navy Completed 6 | Builders Mazagon Dock Limited Succeeded by Godavari class | |
Retired 6 (INS Vindhyagiri was sunk but salvaged and later retired) | ||
The Nilgiri-class frigates are updated versions of the Leander class, designed and built for the Indian Navy by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai. Six ships were built between 1972-81. Vessels of the class formed the 14th Frigate Squadron. The lead ship INS Nilgiri was the first major warship to be built in India in collaboration with Yarrow Shipbuilders of the United Kingdom.
The class and its lead ship, INS Nilgiri are named for the Nilgiri Hills. Subsequent ships in the class are also named for hill ranges of India.
When the British refused to provide license production of the radar suite, the Indian Navy teamed up with Signaal of Netherlands to license-build a similar radar search, tracking and fire control suite in India, which went into the latter five ships. Improved versions of the Signaal search radar continues to be fitted in later classes of Indian Navy ships. The last two ships, INS Vindhyagiri and INS Taragiri were modified significantly with the addition of a Sea King ASW helicopter, a collapsible Canadian hangar, ILAS 324 mm triple torpedo tubes and a Bofors ASW twin barrel mortar. This re-design was done indigenously by the Indian Navy and gave it much needed experience and confidence in ship-design and modification. They were also fitted with an indigenous ASW fire control action information system which was a first for the Indian electronics industry. This project was led by the late Captain (later Rear Admiral) Prakash N Gour. The British categorically refused to extend their design warranty to the Indian modifications which nevertheless proved to be a success.
The Nilgiri class has been decommissioned by the navy, with the entry into service of the Shivalik-class. Five ships have been decommissioned and one sunk in an accident. INS Taragiri was the last ship of the class to be decommissioned, on 27 June 2013 in Mumbai, after serving 33 years in the navy.
History
The Nilgiri-class frigates served as the mainstay and workhorse of the Indian Navy during the 1980s and early 1990s and they formed the 14th Frigate Squadron. The last two vessels (Taragiri and Vindhyagiri) had more powerful engines than the earlier vessels.
Taragiri had a serious fire in July 1994, but was repaired and was back in active service in 1995. Westinghouse supplied the Indian Navy with ASW sonar systems, two hull mounted arrays and three variable depth sonar arrays which are installed inside towed bodies built by Fathom Ocean Ltd. Transducer elements in both cases are identical. INS Udaygiri underwent a refit at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai. The remaining vessels in the series were expected to have their armaments brought into line with later ships.
INS Himgiri was used as a trial ship for the indigenous APSOH (Advanced Panoramic Sonar Hull) sonar.