India has signed contracts worth ₹53,866.50 crore ($5.7 billion) for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy. The agreements were signed by the Ministry of Defence with state-owned shipbuilders Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) on November 2.
Under the contract, GRSE will construct five corvettes, while GSL will build the remaining three. The project marks the first time that warships designed by the Indian Navy will be constructed by defence public sector undertakings selected through a competitive bidding process.
Advanced warships for multiple combat roles
The eight corvettes will be equipped with advanced missiles, weapons and sensor systems to operate across air, surface and underwater domains. Their roles will include anti-surface warfare, anti-air warfare and anti-submarine warfare.
The vessels are also expected to strengthen maritime surveillance, coastal defence, escort operations and the protection of India’s maritime trade routes. They will support the Navy’s operational presence in coastal and littoral waters.
According to GRSE’s specifications, the corvettes will be approximately 127.4 metres long, with a beam of 17.6 metres and a displacement of around 4,950 tonnes. Their maximum speed is expected to be 26 knots.
Boost to domestic shipbuilding
The project is expected to strengthen India’s indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem through the participation of domestic suppliers, private shipyards and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The Defence Ministry estimates that the programme will generate around 72 lakh person-days of employment at the shipyards and 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and MSMEs over the next 10 years.
The contracts represent a major order for both shipyards. The three-corvette order is the largest project secured by Goa Shipyard Limited in its history.
Part of India’s naval modernisation push
The new corvettes are part of India’s broader effort to strengthen its naval capabilities and modernise its surface combatant fleet. The programme will add multi-role warships designed to address threats across different maritime domains.
The project received approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security before the contracts were signed. The ships will be built in India, supporting the government’s focus on indigenous warship design and defence production.
