Destroyers, stealth frigates, giant warships worth ₹1 lakh crore: Indian Navy is planning its biggest fleet expansion in years: Report
Indian Navy is preparing for a landmark ₹1 lakh crore investment to significantly enhance the country’s maritime power with state-of-the-art warships featuring advanced weaponry, stealth technology, and superior combat systems
The Indian Navy is poised to initiate three substantial indigenous warship projects, collectively valued at approximately ₹1 lakh crore, marking a significant investment in its domestic shipbuilding capabilities. The largest of these, Project 15C, will see the construction of four next-generation guided-missile destroyers costing an estimated ₹50,000 crore, building upon existing designs with enhanced sensors and weaponry, with a Request for Proposal anticipated within the next year. Simultaneously, Project 17B aims to build six advanced stealth frigates, each costing around ₹40,000 crore, to be jointly undertaken by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, with an RFP expected in 18 months. The most ambitious is Project 18A, a next-generation large surface combatant program aiming to produce six vessels weighing 14,000-15,000 tonnes, featuring advanced strike and defense capabilities, though this project is in its nascent planning stages with an RFP projected in three years and construction commencing eight years later due to its complexity.
The Indian Navy is poised to initiate three substantial indigenous warship projects, collectively valued at approximately ₹1 lakh crore, marking a significant investment in its domestic shipbuilding capabilities. The largest of these, Project 15C, will see the construction of four next-generation guided-missile destroyers costing an estimated ₹50,000 crore, building upon existing designs with enhanced sensors and weaponry, with a Request for Proposal anticipated within the next year. Simultaneously, Project 17B aims to build six advanced stealth frigates, each costing around ₹40,000 crore, to be jointly undertaken by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, with an RFP expected in 18 months. The most ambitious is Project 18A, a next-generation large surface combatant program aiming to produce six vessels weighing 14,000-15,000 tonnes, featuring advanced strike and defense capabilities, though this project is in its nascent planning stages with an RFP projected in three years and construction commencing eight years later due to its complexity.
The Indian Navy is poised to initiate three substantial indigenous warship projects, collectively valued at approximately ₹1 lakh crore, marking a significant investment in its domestic shipbuilding capabilities. The largest of these, Project 15C, will see the construction of four next-generation guided-missile destroyers costing an estimated ₹50,000 crore, building upon existing designs with enhanced sensors and weaponry, with a Request for Proposal anticipated within the next year. Simultaneously, Project 17B aims to build six advanced stealth frigates, each costing around ₹40,000 crore, to be jointly undertaken by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, with an RFP expected in 18 months. The most ambitious is Project 18A, a next-generation large surface combatant program aiming to produce six vessels weighing 14,000-15,000 tonnes, featuring advanced strike and defense capabilities, though this project is in its nascent planning stages with an RFP projected in three years and construction commencing eight years later due to its complexity.
In what could be one of the largest investments in India's indigenous naval shipbuilding, the Indian Navy is expected to launch three major warship projects—Project 15C destroyers, Project 17B frigates and Project 18A next-generation Large Surface Combatants—worth around ₹1 lakh crore in the near future.
According to an NDTV report, these projects are currently undergoing various internal consultations and planning.
Under the largest of the three, Project 15C, the Navy is looking to build four next-generation guided-missile destroyers at an estimated cost of around ₹50,000 crore.
Sources quoted in the report said the defence ministry is expected to issue the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project within the next year, with construction expected to begin about three years after the RFP is issued.
The destroyers will build on the capabilities of the Kolkata-class (Project 15A) and Visakhapatnam-class (Project 15B) warships while incorporating newer sensors, weapons, electronic warfare capabilities and enhanced air defence systems, the report said.
Under Project 17B, the Navy plans to build six advanced stealth frigates at an estimated cost of ₹40,000 crore. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) will share the project, with each shipyard building three frigates.
The RFP for the project is expected to be issued in the next 18 months, the report said, adding that construction is likely to begin within the next four years.
Among the three projects, Project 18A is the most ambitious, with officials describing it as the Indian Navy's next-generation large surface combatant programme. NDTV, quoting sources, said the Navy plans to build six warships of 14,000-15,000 tonnes—among the largest combat vessels ever to be constructed in India—featuring enhanced strike capability, stronger air and missile defence, advanced command-and-control systems and greater endurance for long-range deployments.
However, unlike Projects 15C and 17B, Project 18A remains at an early stage of planning, with the Request for Proposal expected to be issued over the next three years and construction likely to begin around eight years later due to the complexity of the platform.