The Indian Navy has received delivery of Mahendragiri, a Project-17A or Nilgiri-class frigate from the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL). The Nilgiri-class of ships of frigates are an improvement of the Project-17 or Shivalik-class of frigates. Both the Nilgiri and the Shivalik have been designed in-house by the Naval Design Bureau. The Nilgiri-class of frigates were planned to complement the older Shivaliks. The newer ships are said to have an improved design portfolio and a lower Radar Cross Section (RCS). The navy has ordered seven Nilgiri-class frigates from two different shipyards, with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers to deliver the other three frigates.The ships of the class, carry a mighty punch and are armed with different types of weapons systems. The primary offensive weapon for the Nilgiris are 8 Brahmos supersonic anti-ship missiles. These missiles proved their worth during Operation Sindoor last year, when they were fired with deadly effect at different Pakistani airbases. For defence against aircraft, this class of ship employs the Medium Range Surface to Air Missile (MR-SAM), this weapon too demonstrated its capability in the 88-hour conflict between India and Pakistan last year. An MR-SAM unit operating from Sirsa air force base, famously shot down two Fatah-II rockets fired by the Pakistanis.The ship is also equipped with a strong array of sensors to detect enemy combatants in the air, on the surface and below the waves.The Mahendragiri, named after a peak in the Eastern Ghats mountain range, now delivered to the navy will be commissioned in the force in the next few months. Previous ships of the class, such as the INS Taragiri were commissioned four months after delivery. Two ships of the class INS Himgiri and INS Udaygiri, built by two separate shipyards, were commissioned together in August of last year, a first for the navy. The navy is working on the Next Generation Frigates (NGF), under Project-17B, a follow on for the Nilgiri-class.