Rs 53,866 crore deal: 8 next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy
The Defence Ministry has signed Rs 53,866.50 crore contracts with GRSE and Goa Shipyard for eight next-generation corvettes, the first warships designed in-house by the Indian Navy.
The Defence Ministry on 2 November signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers and Goa Shipyard for eight Next Generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy. GRSE will build five and Goa Shipyard three, in the first project where warships designed in-house by the Navy are built by defence public sector yards chosen through a competitive process.
The Rs 53,866 crore deal
The Ministry of Defence on Monday 2 November signed contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to acquire eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy. The contracts were signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh. Under the contracts, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will construct the remaining three. The ministry said this is the first project in which warships will be indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by defence public sector undertakings selected through a competitive process.
What the corvettes can do
At a displacement of 3,800 to 4,000 tonnes, the NGCs overlap with smaller frigates, going well beyond the traditional corvette size of 500 to 2,000 tonnes. They are expected to do more than 30 knots, with a range of 4,000 nautical miles at 14 knots, and will carry 160 sailors and 21 officers. The armament includes a 76 mm super rapid gun mount made by BHEL, eight surface-to-surface missiles, 24 anti-missile defence weapons and two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes. The sensor suite covers surface, air and fire-control radars, an infrared search and track system, a hull-mounted sonar, an active towed array sonar and a combat management system, letting the ships work across the air, surface and sub-surface domains.
Replacing an ageing fleet
The ships will replace the Khukri-class corvettes, of which INS Kuthar and INS Khanjar remain in service, and the four Kora-class vessels still with the Navy. Their roles will include protecting maritime trade routes, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence, littoral combat and surveillance. The first ship is targeted for delivery by 2030, according to reports — a target, not a confirmed delivery date, with a long road of construction ahead.
Why the deal matters
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the construction would generate approximately 72 lakh person-days of employment in the shipyards and 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next ten years. The ministry has presented the programme as a step towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing, with Made-in-India materials, equipment and technology. One figure worth noting: the project first came before the Defence Acquisition Council in June 2022 at around Rs 36,000 crore, and the Cabinet Committee on Security cleared it only days before the signing at a reported figure of over Rs 40,000 crore — the ministry's announcement does not explain the difference from the final contract value of Rs 53,866.50 crore.
Editorial disclosure
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Frequently asked questions
How many corvettes will be built, and by whom?
Eight Next Generation Corvettes: five by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and three by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), under contracts worth Rs 53,866.50 crore signed on 2 November.
What weapons will the corvettes carry?
A 76 mm super rapid gun mount made by BHEL, eight surface-to-surface missiles, 24 anti-missile defence weapons and two triple 324 mm torpedo tubes, plus radars, sonar systems and a combat management system.
When will the first corvette be delivered?
The first ship is targeted for delivery by 2030, according to reports. That is a target, not a confirmed delivery date, and no firm delivery schedule for all eight ships has been announced.