Mazagon Dock on course to deliver Project 15 Alpha soon

Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) expects to deliver the first ship under Project 15A in a year's time, according to its Chairman and Managing Director, Rear Admiral (Retd) R.K. Shrawat.

Speaking to SP’s ShowNews at Defexpo India 2012, Rear Admiral Shrawat said three of the Kolkata-class destroyers under the name of Project 15A are at the ‘outfitting stage’. MDL has launched the indigenous warship with enhanced stealth features and land-attack capabilities. “We are trying to curtail the period to deliver the first ship.” The next two will be delivered in 2013-14.

On the timelines for the Project 15B destroyers, Rear Admiral Shrawat mentioned that the first ship would be delivered in 2018 and the remaining three warships in intervals of two years - 2020-22 and 2024. The Indian Navy order is worth 29,345 crore.

He informed that the contract for the seven follow-on Project 17A stealth frigates is expected to be awarded sometime during this year. Mazagon Dock will build four and the remaining three would be constructed by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE). The 17A series are expected to carry the BrahMos anti-ship and land attack supersonic cruise missile.

Rear Admiral Shrawat said his vision was to make MDL a ‘truly world class shipyard’, meeting international norms and standards of shipbuilding. “We are on track with regard to modernising our shipyard and the most important asset of our company is to further augment human resources which we will nurture for them to deliver world class products.”