Navy hunts for corvette ships under ‘Make in India’ project

The government’s “Make in India” slogan seems to be the dominant flavour of the season. Close on the heels of embarking on a hunt to acquire 200-300 fighter aircraft under the “Make in India” project, the government is scouting for seven “next generation” corvettes or small warships for the Indian Navy.

Besides adding substantial offensive power, it will also boost the domestic industry. “We will pitch strongly. We have made different types of warships in our shipyard and we are the only ones to have delivered earlier than schedule,” chairman and managing director of Goa Shipyard, Rear Admiral Shekhar Mital (retd), told agencies.

Capable of carrying out surface-to-surface missile attacks and anti-submarine warfare operations, the Navy wants delivery of these seven heavily armed corvettes from 2023 onwards. With each 120-metre single corvette costing about '1,500 to '1,800 crore, the deal is expected to go up to several thousands crore of rupees.

The criteria for the new vessels are largely similar to the Khukri-class boats they are going to replace — 4,000 nautical mile range, maximum and sustained top speeds of 25-27 knots.

The 120-meter single hull corvettes, or small warships, will have low radar, acoustic, magnetic, visual and infra-red signatures.

The ships are expected to carry a minimum of 8 surface-to-surface missiles and engage sea-skimming missiles, flying 3-5metre above sea level, up to maximum speed of Mach 3 (three times the speed of sound). There are now at least 45 ships and submarines under construction in India.