As India continues to build up its naval strength, sources indicate that the Indian Navy is set to launch three indigenous warship projects worth up to Rs 1 lakh crore.
The three projects - 15C destroyers, 17B frigates, and 18A next generation Large Surface Combatants - would serve as the backbone of India's future surface fleet, as the country looks to boost capabilities in the face of increasing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sources revealed to NDTV that the projects are going through various rounds of internal consultations and planning before moving forward to the defence acquisition process.
Once they get the clearance, they would be one of the biggest investments in indigenous naval shipbuilding since Project 15B destroyers and Project 17A stealth frigates.
The largest and first of these upcoming projects is Project 15C, under which the Navy plans to build four next-generation guided-missile destroyers, at an estimated cost of around Rs 50,000 crore.
According to sources, the Ministry of Defence is expected to issue the Request For Proposal (RFP) within the next year. Construction of the ships would then begin roughly three years after the RFP is issued, once design approval and procurement clearances are in place.
These destroyers would use the capabilities that were available in Kolkata-class (Project 15A) and Visakhapatnam-class (Project 15B) destroyers, as well as newer sensors, weapons, electronic warfare and improved air defence systems.
The second project would be the Project 17B, according to which, the Navy intends to build six advanced stealth frigates, costing Rs 40,000 crore.
Sources revealed that the current plan is for the construction of these six frigates to be shared between the two topmost Indian shipyards, where Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) would build three frigates, while the remaining three frigates would be constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).
The RFP for Project 17B is expected to be issued in approximately 18 months' time, while construction of the ships would begin after about four years from the RFP issuance, subject to procurement clearances.
Among the three, Project 18A stands out as the biggest and most ambitious - officials describe it as the Navy's next-generation large surface combatant programme.
Sources told NDTV that the Navy wants to construct six warships of 14,000-15,000 tonnes, among the biggest combatants ever constructed in India. They would have enhanced strike capability, air and missile defence, command and control systems, as well as increased endurance for far flung missions.
Unlike Projects 15C and 17B, Project 18A is still at a much earlier stage of planning. The RFP is expected to be issued only in the next three years, while ship construction could begin after around eight years, given the complexity of the platform.
These projects come at a time when the Indian Navy wants to retain a qualitative edge in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), while expanding its footprint in the broader Indo-Pacific region. The Navy has long demanded for a bigger and better-equipped navy in view of emerging maritime security challenges, protection of sea lines of communication, and providing net security to the region.
For MDL, the projects would help it cement its position as the key shipyard building frontline warships for the Indian Navy. Based in Mumbai, the defence PSU has supplied the Navy with its Project 15A Kolkata-class destroyers, is presently constructing the Project 15B Visakhapatnam-class destroyers and is also constructing Project 17A Nilgiri-class stealth frigates.
Whereas Project 17B would be shared between MDL and GRSE, it seems to reflect the government's policy of distribution of the burden of naval construction among various Indian shipyards and boosting indigenous manufacturing capacity as a part of Aatmanirbhar Bharat programme.
