The Indian Defence Ministry has awarded contracts worth ₹538.67 billion ($5.7 billion) to build eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy, expanding the country’s capabilities in coastal defence and maritime warfare. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers will construct five vessels, while Goa Shipyard Limited has been assigned the remaining three under the agreements signed in New Delhi. The ministry described the programme as the first in which a warship designed specifically by the Indian Navy will be built by state-owned defence shipyards. The corvettes will carry missiles, weapons and sensors for detecting and engaging aerial, surface and underwater threats. In addition to anti-ship and anti-submarine missions, they will support littoral operations, maritime surveillance and naval presence in coastal waters. The construction programme is expected to involve domestic suppliers of equipment, materials and technology, including smaller companies working with the two shipyards. The procurement supports India’s wider maritime-security strategy, which includes improving its ability to monitor shipping activity across the region. In a related development, Vantor received a US Navy contract earlier this year to provide satellite intelligence supporting the Indian Navy and other Indo-Pacific partners. Its AI-enabled Maritime Sentry system analyses radar and optical satellite imagery to detect and track vessels over wide ocean areas, including dark vessels that disable, manipulate or fail to transmit their Automatic Identification System signals.
