Visakhapatnam, Aug. 26 -- Indian Navy on Tuesday simultaneously commissioned the latest multi-mission stealth frigates INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri at Naval Base in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

The ceremony was presided over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. This marks the first occasion when two frontline surface combatants, constructed at two different shipyards, commissioned simultaneously, underscoring the growing maritime importance of India's eastern seaboard.

Udaygiri and Himgiri are follow-on ships of the Project 17 (Shivalik) class frigates. Both frigates were designed in-house by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau (WDB), and notably, Udaygiri is the 100th ship designed by the WDB, marking a milestone in five decades of...