In Boost For Navy, Govt Inks Rs 19,600-Crore Deal For Offshore Patrol And Missile Vessels

The acquisition of these ships will enable the Navy to maintain its combat capability and meet various operational requirements such as Anti-Piracy, Counter-Infiltration, Anti-Poaching.

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New Delhi: In a major boost to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in the defence sector, Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Indian shipyards for acquisition of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels and six Next Generation Missile Vessels at an overall cost of approximately Rs 19,600 crore.

The contract for acquisition of 11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels under Buy category was signed with Goa Shipyard Ltd and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata at a total cost of Rs 9,781 crore. Out of the 11 ships, seven will be indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by GSL and four by GRSE. The delivery of the ships is scheduled to start from September 2026.

Notably, the acquisition of these ships will enable the Indian Navy to maintain its combat capability and meet various operational requirements such as Anti-Piracy, Counter-Infiltration, Anti-Poaching, Anti-Trafficking, Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, Search and Rescue (SAR), Protection of Offshore Assets etc. The construction of these ships will also generate an employment of 110 lakh man-days over a period of seven and half years.

These ships will be capable of conducting Maritime Strike Operations, Anti Surface Warfare Operations and would be a major instrument of sea denial for enemy ships, especially at choke points.

The defence ministry on Thursday also inked a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited for the procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 fire control systems for the Navy at a cost of over Rs 1,700 crore, officials said.

It is to be noted that the Lynx-U2 system is a naval gun fire control system that has been designed and developed in India. It is capable of accurately tracking and engaging targets amid sea clutter as well as air or surface targets, the government said in a statement.

The Defence Ministry signed a contract with BEL, Bengaluru for "procurement of 13 Lynx-U2 fire control systems for the Indian Navy at a total cost of over Rs 1,700 crore under Buy {Indian - IDMM (Indigenously Designed Developed and Manufactured) RHL,” the statement added.