The Steel Authority of India has made a special contribution in shipbuilding prowess and its march towards self-reliance by providing nearly 8000 tonnes of critical steel for building two stealth frigates of Project 17A – INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri.

These two stealth frigates were commissioned into the Indian Navy in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh at the Naval Base, Visakhapatnam, on August 26, 2025. 

It was for the first time that two frontline surface combatants indigenously constructed by two different shipyards - Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai [INS Udaygiri] and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata [INS Himgiri] - were commissioned simultaneously.

The 8000 tonnes of critical steel were supplied by SAIL through its three plants located in Bokaro, Rourkela and Bhilai.

The contribution of SAIL in providing critical-grade steel for the Indian Navy is part of its significant achievement in import substitution and defense self-reliance, directly supporting the 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Make in India' initiatives and lessening India's dependence on imported special quality steel for the Defence sector of the country.