The three Shivalik-class ships of Project 17 are the starting point for a sequence that continues with the Nilgiri-class Project 17A and then Project 17B. The design argument centres on an Indian Navy prepared to operate independently. Cooperation with allies remains welcome, but allied support is not treated as the starting assumption for building the force. Flexible frigates can be combined into task groups with the strength and mass a mission requires. Their firepower contributes to their own protection and the defence of the wider group. This interpretation places frigates at the centre of Indian power projection throughout the Indian Ocean and beyond. The Project 17 family therefore matters as part of building a frigate force, as well as for the capabilities of individual ships.
Chapter · 0:00-1:27
Project 17 frigates and independent Indian task groups
The Project 17 family illustrates a case for building flexible frigates around India's expectation of operating independently across the Indian Ocean and farther afield.