Mahendragiri (Yard 12654) is the sixth ship of the Nilgiri class, Project 17A (P17A), and the fourth of the class built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDSL). The frigate was delivered to the Indian Navy on 30 April 2026 at MDSL in Mumbai and the event was presented as a significant milestone in achieving self-reliance in warship design and construction.

Project 17A frigates are versatile multi-mission platforms intended to address current and emerging challenges in the maritime domain. The state-of-the-art design represents a substantial advance in stealth, firepower, automation and survivability and is described as a symbol of Aatmanirbharta in warship building.

The design was prepared by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and the construction was overseen by the Warship Overseeing Team in Mumbai. The class embodies a generational leap in indigenous ship design and combat capability, and construction followed the philosophy of Integrated Construction to meet envisaged timelines.

P17A ships are fitted with an advanced weapon and sensor suite compared with the preceding P17 Shivalik class and are equipped for anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare. Propulsion is provided by a Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) configuration comprising a diesel engine and a gas turbine that drive a Controllable Pitch Propeller on each shaft, and the vessels incorporate an Integrated Platform Management System.

Mahendragiri is the sixth P17A to be delivered in under 17 months from the delivery of the lead ship Nilgiri on 20 December 2024, a cadence that reflects design and shipbuilding capability. The project has an indigenous content of 75 per cent, has involved over 200 MSMEs at MDSL and has enabled employment generation of approximately 4,000 personnel directly and more than 10,000 personnel indirectly.