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The company had also declared an interim dividend @ 79% of paid-up share capital against 55% of previous year.

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A wide range of niche technologies are being inducted to enhance long range precision attack capabilities. Loitering munitions in land and sea-based versions are being inducted to enhance the targeting capabilities. Additionally, containerised missile systems are being inducted to enhance the operational capability and to augment flexibility in operations.

The Navy has transformed from a ‘Buyers Navy’ into a ‘Builders Navy’, with aircraft carrier, destroyers, stealth frigates, corvettes, submarines and other war vessels being constructed in our country. Today, of the 66 ships under construction 64 are being built in India. Further, approvals have been given for 24 ships and submarines that are all planned to be constructed in Indian Shipyards. At present, IN has achieved approximately 90% indigenisation in the float segment, 60% in the move segment, and 50% in the fight segment. Indian Navy is committed to becoming a fully Aatmanirbhar Navy by 2047.

A number of ships and submarines have been commissioned in 2023.

INS Vagir, fifth Submarine of Kalvari class, was commissioned on January 23, 2023.

INS Tarmugli returned by the Govt of Maldives was re-commissioned after refit on December 14, 2023.

INS Imphal, the third stealth ship of Project-15B was commissioned on 26 December 2023.

Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first of the four Survey Vessel (Large) ships was delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE on December 4, 2023.

The third GRSE ship of Project P17A Frigates, Vindhyagiri (Yard 3024), was launched on Aug 17, 2023 at GRSE.

The fourth ship of Survey Vessel Large, i.e. Sanshodhak (Yard 3028) was launched on June 13, 2023 at L&T Shipyard.

Two ASW Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) namely Androth (Yard 3035) and Anjadip (Yard 3030) were launched on March 21 and June 13, 2023 respectively at GRSE.

Three more ASW SWC namely Mahe (Yard 523), Malvan (Yard 524) and Magrol (Yard 525) were concurrently launched on November 30, 2023 at CSL, Kochi.

The last of the seven P17A ships, i.e. Mahendragiri (Yard 12654) was launched on September 1, 2023 at MDL, Mumbai.

1st Diving Support Craft A-20 (Yard-325) was launched on August 31, 2023 at Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd, Kolkata.

INS Vikrant completed Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) on May 31, 2023. With the IOC, the ship has proven the Aviation Facilities Complex, achieved day and night landing of MiG-29K, completed landing trials of all helicopters in the Naval inventory.

Atmanirbharta in Defence is having a profound affect on the operational efficiency of the Indian Navy. During 2023 alone, a number of approvals were given by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). These included:

Medium-Range Anti-Ship Missiles for surface platforms in November 2023.

Next Generation Survey Vessels and avionic upgradation of Dornier aircraft in September 2023.

26 Rafale-Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support in July 2023.

15 MQ-9B Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAs) in June 2023.

Ship-launched BrahMos missiles and Utility Helicopters-Maritime in March 2023

Brahmos Launcher and Fire Control System for the Shivalik class of ships and Next Generation Missile Vessels in January 2023.

The Ministry of Defence signed contracts with a number of companies to strengthen the capabilities of the Indian Navy. Among them were:

13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Three Cadet Training Ships from Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T).

11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels and six Next Generation Missile Vessels from different Indian shipyards.

Five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) from Hindustan Shipyard Limited.

16 Upgraded Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) anti-missile/anti-aircraft point defence weapon system from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.

Medium Refit with Life Certification of Sub-Surface Killer Class of Submarine ‘INS Shankush’ with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.

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The defence ministry signed three contracts worth ₹19,600 crore with domestic shipyards for 11 next-generation offshore patrol vessels and six next-generation missile vessels, and another one worth ₹1,700 crore with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for a fire control system to boost the navy’s capabilities.

It also signed a ₹8,160-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for improved Akash surface-to-air missiles for the army, and another one worth ₹990 crore with BEL for Swathi weapon locating radars, also for the army.

The sixth contract of the day was signed with BrahMos Aerospace for next-generation maritime mobile coastal batteries (long range) and BrahMos missiles for ₹1,700 crore.

The offshore patrol vessels are being bought from Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, for ₹9,781 crore, while the missile vessels will be supplied by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for ₹9,805 crore.

The latest deals come a day after the ministry signed three contracts worth ₹5,400 crore for an advanced communication satellite, GSAT 7B, for the army, an automated air defence control and reporting system for the army’s air defence units, and Sarang electronic support measure systems for navy helicopters.

The ministry has signed contracts worth almost ₹52,000 crore (including the deals signed on Thursday) in the last four weeks for indigenous military hardware, including basic trainer aircraft, cadet training ships, medium-power radars, radar warning receivers and Dornier aircraft.

“Of the 11 offshore patrol vessels, seven will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by GSL and four by GRSE. The delivery of the ships is scheduled to commence from September 2026…and the missile vessels from March 2027,” the ministry said in a statement.

It elaborated on the capabilities the platforms ships will bring to the navy.

The offshore patrol vessels will enable the navy to maintain its combat capability and meet various operational requirements including anti-piracy, counter-infiltration, anti-poaching, anti-trafficking, non-combatant evacuation operations, and search and rescue.

The construction of these ships will generate an employment of 110 lakh man-days over seven-and-a-half years, the ministry said.

The heavily-armed missile vessels will come with stealth, high speed and offensive capability, and their primary role will be to provide offensive capability against enemy warships and land targets.

“These ships will be capable of conducting maritime strike operations, anti-surface warfare operations and would be a potent instrument of sea denial for enemy ships especially at choke points,” the ministry said. The construction of these ships will generate an employment of 45 lakh man-days over nine years.

The contract with BDL for improved Akash weapon system (AWS) is for the army’s Army Air Defence’s third and fourth regiments. “In order to meet aerial threats, two additional regiments of AWS with upgradation are being procured for Indian Army for the northern borders (with China),” the ministry said in another statement.

“The project will give a boost to the Indian missile manufacturing industry in particular and the indigenous defence manufacturing ecosystem as a whole. It has an overall indigenous content of 82% which will be increased to 93% by 2026-27.”

On the weapon locating radars, the ministry said the system is capable of locating hostile guns, mortars and rockets, and facilitating their destruction through counter bombardment. “This will enable troops to carry out their operational tasks without any interference from the enemy and also provide them safety against enemy fire. Induction is planned to be completed in 24 months.”

The Lynx-U2 system fire control system ordered for the navy is capable of accurately tracking and engaging targets amid sea clutter as well as air/surface targets, the ministry said in a separate statement.

It will be installed on offshore patrol vessels to be built at GRSE, and GSL. This latest order for BEL will generate an employment of 200,000 man-days over the next four years, the statement added.

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The Kolkata-based warship maker is constructing six patrol boats for Bangladesh and an ocean-going passenger and cargo ferry vessel for Cooperative Republic of Guyana, he said.

GRSE, which had bagged the prestigious Rs 19,294-crore order for the construction of three advanced stealth frigates under Project 17A for the Indian Navy, has already launched two of these ships and the construction of the third one is in full swing.

After having launched P17A advanced frigate INS Himgiri and large survey vessel INS Sandhayak, GRSE is doing outfitting work on these ships at its FOJ (fitting out jetty) unit before handing these over to the Indian Navy, Hari said.

Among the ships under construction at its sprawling facilities on the bank of the Hooghly river are four large survey vessels, of which Sandhayak is undergoing outfitting.

“GRSE is also constructing eight anti-submarine warfare water crafts for the Navy,” Hari said.

A major supplier for the Indian Coast Guard, the public sector undertaking is making a fast patrol vessel for it, apart from refitting ICGS Sujay, he said.

In its endeavour to introduce green technology in shipbuilding, GRSE has signed a contract with the West Bengal government for the construction of a next-generation electric ferry, Hari said. “I believe that once delivered, this vessel will be a game changer for inland water transport in India and will also have good export potential,” he said.

GRSE, which has so far delivered 107 warships with the maiden INS Ajay in 1961 being India’s first indigenously-made warship, has been a profit-making company for the last 28 years, he said.

Following thorough modernisation, the shipyard at present can build 20 ships, eight large and 12 small, concurrently, the official said.

A listed company, GRSE, has posted a record quarterly total income of Rs 621 crore in the April-June period of 2022-23, a growth of 81 per cent over the corresponding months in the last financial year, he said. Profit after tax stood at Rs 50 crore in the quarter ended June 30, 2022, as against Rs 21 crore in the year-ago period, and registered a growth of 138 per cent, he added.

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The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), on 6 June, accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN) for the procurement of eight next generation corvettes (NGC) at an estimated cost of Rs 36,000 crore. The AoN is the first step for the procurement procedure.

These next generation corvettes are part of the Indian Navy’s ongoing plan to have a 175-ship Navy. The warships, the NGC, will be versatile platforms for variety of roles like surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, surface action group (SAG) operations, search and attack and coastal defence. These NGCs would be constructed based on new in-house design of Indian Navy using latest technology of ship-building.

Survey Vessel Launched

Nirdeshak, the second of the four Survey Vessels (Large) (SVL) projects being built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in collaboration with L&T shipbuilding for the Indian Navy was launched on 26 May at Kattupalli, Chennai.

The vessel has taken its name from erstwhile Nirdeshak which was also an Indian Naval Survey ship and was decommissioned after 32 years of glorious service in December 2014.

Part construction of three out of four ships of SVL is being undertaken at L&T, Kattupalli as part of a collaborative approach between GRSE and L&T shipbuilding. This model of Public-Private Partnership shall be a harbinger of future successful collaboration for Warship construction in India.

The contract for building four SVL ships was signed between MoD and GRSE, Kolkata on October 30, 2018. The first of class ship ‘Sandhayak’ was launched in December 2021 at GRSE, Kolkata.

The SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships with new generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data. The Survey Vessel (Large) ships have a deep displacement of about 3400 tons and a complement of 235 personnel.

The ship is designed to operate at a cruise speed of 14 knots and a maximum speed of 18 knots. Bow and Stern Thrusters have been catered for better manoeuvring at low speeds required during shallow water survey operations. The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed DMR 249-A steel manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited.

With the capability to carry four Survey Motor Boats and an integral helicopter, the primary role of the ships would be to undertake full scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of Ports and navigational channels. The ships would also be deployed for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data for defence as well as civil applications. In their secondary role, the ships are capable of providing limited defence, besides serving as Hospital ships during emergencies.

National Hospital Ship

The Ministry of Defence issued a Request for Information to buy one National Hospital Ship for the Indian Navy from registered Indian Shipyards, on 18 May. The National Hospital Ship would be able to provide Primary and Secondary Care to the patients on board, and the first vessel would be delivered within 48 months of the contract’s signing.

The National Hospital Ship will be painted white in accordance with the Geneva Convention, with the Red Cross prominently visible on the ship’s side and top. The National Medical Ship will be required to carry a maximum of 600 people onboard, including 250 patients and 117 hospital personnel.

It will feature a crew of 15 officers and 120 sailors, as well as a medical crew of 22 officers, 14 Military Nursing Service Staffs, and 81 sailors. The National Hospital Ship will be under 15000 tons in displacement and have a minimum service life of 20 years.

Ships Decommissioned

Two naval warships, INS Nishank and INS Akshay, were decommissioned on 3 June after 32 years of being at the forefront of safeguarding the maritime interests of the nation.

INS Nishank, the fourth of the Veer Class Missile Corvette, was an integral part of the Killer Squadron, renowned for its heroics in the 1971 India-Pakistan War.

It held the distinction of having operated on both the eastern as well as western seaboards. The ship was armed with surface-to-surface missile. It has been earmarked to be displayed as a war relic at a suitable historic location.

INS Akshay was part of the 23rd Patrol Vessel Squadron, whose primary role is anti-submarine warfare and coastal patrol. With a formidable armament of long-range torpedoes and anti-submarine rockets, the ‘submarine hunter’ was perennially on petrol, keeping enemy submarines at bay.

INS Gomati, a Godavari class guided-missile frigate, was decommissioned, on 28 May, after 34 years of service. It was commissioned on April 16, 1988.

The ship had been deployed in Operations Cactus, Parakram and Rainbow.

Gomati was designed by the Indian Navy and built in an Indian shipyard, and these were initial steps towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India).

Gomati’s legacy will be kept alive in an open air museum being set up on the banks of the Gomti river (from which the frigate derives her name) in Lucknow where several of her combat systems will be displayed as military and war relics.

The Uttar Pradesh government and Indian Navy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for this purpose.

Digital Coast Guard Project

The DAC also gave apporval for the “Digital Coast Guard” Project under the ‘Buy (Indian) Category’ has been approved by the DAC. Under this project, a pan India secure network for digitising various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in the Indian Coast Guard will be established.

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Designed to operate at a cruise speed of 14 knots and a maximum speed of 18 knots, the SVL ships will replace the existing Sandhayak Class survey ships.

The SVL ships have been fitted with new generation hydrographic equipment to collect oceanographic data. The Survey Vessel (Large) ships have a deep displacement of about 3400 tons and can carry 235 personnel.The hull of these ships is made from indigenously developed steel manufactured by Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL).

The ship can carry four survey motorboats and an integral helicopter. The main role of the ships would be to undertake full scale coastal and deep-water hydrographic surveys of ports and navigational channels.The vessels would also be deployed for collecting oceanographic and geophysical data for defence as well as civil applications.

INS Nirdeshak capable of providing limited defence

In their secondary role, the ships are capable of providing limited defence, besides serving as hospital ships during emergencies.The ship has taken its name from erstwhile Nirdeshak which was also an Indian Naval Survey ship and was decommissioned after 32 years of glorious service in December 2014, the release stated.The contract for building four SVL ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 30 October 18. The first of class ship ‘Sandhayak’ was launched in December last year.The launch ceremony was attended by Vice-Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

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