India Approves Project for Next-Gen Navy Corvettes
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, has approved a project worth more than Rs 40,000 crore to build eight Next-Generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy. The approval came on 28 October. The ships will be built by two state-owned yards: Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, West Bengal, on the Hooghly river, and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in Vasco da Gama, Goa, on the west coast.
Officials said the contract is expected to be signed within days. How the eight ships will be divided between the two yards has not been announced.
Each corvette will displace about 2,000 tonnes and reach speeds of around 30 knots. They will use a stealth design developed in-house by the Indian Navy and are planned as flexible, multi-role ships for maritime security across the Indian Ocean Region. The first vessel is due by 2030, and work is under way to speed up construction. The programme was first cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council in June 2022.
The order is one of the largest recent warship projects for Indian shipyards and is presented as a major step for Atmanirbhar Bharat in defence shipbuilding. It is also linked to India’s SAGAR vision of security and growth for all in the region.
Large orders like this keep Indian shipyards busy for years and help build skills in design, outfitting and marine engineering. A stronger shipbuilding base can, over time, widen career options for Indian marine engineers, naval architects and technical staff, and support safer seas for merchant shipping in the Indian Ocean.
