Indian government approves Rs 40,000 crore project to build eight next-generation stealth corvettes for the Navy

Key facts

• The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved a project worth over Rs 40,000 crore to build eight Next-Generation Corvettes (NGC) for the Indian Navy.
• A contract is expected soon with Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), with deliveries expected to begin by 2030.
• The warships are based on an indigenous design developed in-house by the Navy, will be high-speed and agile with a speed of around 30 knots, and will complement the existing four Kamorta-class corvettes.
• The NGC programme will bolster anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and coastal warfare capabilities, and provide persistent surveillance across the Indian Ocean Region.
• The original Acceptance of Necessity for the project was granted by the Defence Acquisition Council in June 2022 at an approximate cost of Rs 36,000 crore.