Steel cutting and construction begins at Kochi for navy’s 6 new missile vessels

In the 1971 war, three Indian Navy missile boats attacked Karachi harbour. They sank three Pakistani warships and set ablaze Karachi’s oil storage facility

 

By Ajai Shukla

17th December 2024

 

The “steel cutting” ceremony of a brand new class of Indian Navy warships – which will be the navy’s first Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) – took place at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), in Kochi, on Monday.

 

In March 2023, the Indian Navy concluded a contract with CSL for construction of six NGMVs with induction of the new class of warships in the navy’s fleet planned from 2027 onwards.

 

The NGMVs are envisaged as high-speed vessels with a formidable array of weapons and sensors. These include surface-to-surface missile (SSM) systems, anti-missile defence (AMD) systems, air surveillance and fire control radars, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced today. 

 

“The construction of the ships reinforces India’s commitment to build a strong and modern Navy, capable of operating in the complex maritime environment of the Indian Ocean Region,” said the MoD.

 

Missile vessels form an important part of the navy’s heritage and tradition. In the 1971 war against Pakistan, three navy missile boats staged a daring missile attack on Karachi harbour. The so-called Killer Squadron sank three Pakistani warships and set ablaze Karachi’s oil storage facility, underscoring the navy’s relevance in India’s force structures. 

 

The NGMVs now being built at CSL are far more potent warships. In 1971, the navy’s Vidyut-class missile boats had to be towed up to Karachi since their short range did not allow them to sail there and back. They had to expose themselves to danger by reaching within 50 kilometres of Karachi, given the 72 kilometers range of their Soviet-made Styx surface-to-surface missiles (SSMs). 

 

The NGMVs now being built are robust, 1,500-tonne vessels with far longer operating ranges. They will be armed with Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, which can reach targets 295-kilometres away. Making them hard to detect will be stealth features, such as low radar, infrared, accoustic and magnetic signatures.

 

Significantly, two private sector shipyards – Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Reliance Naval and Engineering (RNAVAL) – were amongst those who were invited to bid for the NGMV order.

 

Besides L&T and RNAVAL, Requests for Proposals (RFPs) were also issued to the four defence public sector undertaking (DPSU) shipyards – Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata, Goa Shipyard Ltd and Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam. However, the tender was won by Cochin Shipyard Ltd, a Kerala state PSU that built the navy’s first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant.

 

The NGMVs will be powered by LM2500 marine gas turbine engine kits, supplied by US marine engine manufacturer, GE Aerospace. This will provide the capability of sailing at a speed of 35 knots (65 kilometres per hour).

 

While GE is under pressure for having failed to deliver India’s order of GE F-404 aero engines on time, in a contract for jet engines for Tejas Mark 1A fighters, it is doing well in supplying marine engines around the world. 

 

LM2500 engines already power the navy’s six Shivalik-class frigates. In addition, four LM2500 gas turbines power the aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant, the flagship of the Indian Navy.