INS Mahendragiri Commissioned; Defence Minister Emphasizes AI and Human Resolve in Future Wars

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned INS Mahendragiri on Saturday. He stated future wars will blend AI with trained soldiers and robust military power. New technologies and conventional platforms are seen as complementary, not opposed to each other. Andhra Pradesh is emerging as a defense and aerospace manufacturing powerhouse. INS Mahendragiri is the last of four warships built under Project 17A.

Visakhapatnam: Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and robust military power, Defence Minister Rajanth Singh said on Saturday.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony of INA Mahendragiri here, Singh also said Andhra Pradesh has emerged as a new powerhouse of India's defence and aerospace manufacturing.

Also read: Indian Navy inducts Mahendragiri: What is the new 'combat ready' stealth frigate

"Future wars may be fought with Artificial Intelligence, but they will still be won by national resolve, trained soldiers and the capable military power. So, I would say that new technologies and conventional platforms are not opposed to each other, but supplement each other, complete each other. Without conventional platforms, new technologies are incomplete in themselves," he said.

According to Singh, it is certain that new technologies have certainly reshaped warfare, but they have not diminished the role of conventional warfare means.

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The strong conventional capability that is still necessary for the fulfilment of basic principles of war is as important as it was before.

Describing INS Mahendragiri as part of the Project 17A Nilgiri-class stealth frigate programme, he said it was the sixth project 17A frigate and the last of the four warships built by MDL under the programme.

Calling it the concluding jewel of MDL's Project 17A series, he expressed confidence that the shipyard would continue building similar advanced warships.

Recalling the induction of earlier Project 17A frigates, Singh said INS Nilgiri was commissioned in January 2025, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri in August 2025, INS Taragiri in April 2026 and INS Dunagiri in June 2026 before INS Mahendragiri joined the Navy on Saturday.

Singh said INS Mahendragiri has a full-load displacement of about 6,670 tonnes, can attain speeds of up to 28 knots and is capable of simultaneously countering aerial threats, enemy surface vessels and submarines as a multi-mission stealth frigate.