India’s state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited has reached a major construction milestone for the Navy’s Next Generation Missile Vessel program by laying the keel of the lead ship, BY 531. The event came shortly after steel cutting began on the second vessel, BY 532. Six corvette-type warships are being produced under a contract worth about $1 billion that was signed with the Ministry of Defence in 2023. The future vessels are intended for surface combat, precision attacks on maritime and land targets, offshore infrastructure security and operations around strategic choke points in the Indian Ocean. The program also marks CSL’s first entry into building high-speed, heavily armed surface combatants for the Navy. Each NGMV will be 89 metres long with a 12-metre beam and will carry more than 80 sailors, while also providing accommodation for a rigid-hull inflatable boat. The planned weapon fit includes Kavach decoys, a 76mm gun, 30mm close-in weapon systems, 12.7mm remote weapon stations, BrahMos missiles, VLSRSAM, VSHORAD systems and loitering munitions. The ships are expected to remain operational for over 10 days, reach 35 knots and cover 2,800 nautical miles. Their propulsion architecture combines an LM2500 gas turbine, two Pielstick 12PA 6 STC6 diesel engines and three Kongsberg Kamewa waterjets.
