GRSE awaits contract for next generation corvettes; project to get final CCS nod
Kolkata, June 3
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited is keenly awaiting the signing of the contract for Next Generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy, officials said on Wednesday.
The Navy wants eight of these warships.
Though nearly everything has been finalised for this project worth nearly Rs 40,000 crore, a final approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) is awaited.
GRSE emerged as the lowest bidder for the project and is likely to bag the order for five of the warships.
The remaining three are likely to be built by Goa Shipyard Limited.
According to officials, the NGCs will feature "distributed lethality", providing a massive strike capability from relatively small, highly mobile platforms.
Their displacement will be about 3,500 tonnes and the ships will have a top speed of nearly 32 knots. They will have an endurance of 30 days without replenishment.
"These warships will be equipped with eight Extended Range Brahmos cruise missiles. They will also have 16-32 Vertical Launch Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles alongside AK-630 close-in weapon system for air defence," an official said.
For anti-submarine operations, the NGCs will be fitted with advanced hull-mounted sonars, active towed array sonars, and triple-tube torpedo launchers. They will also accomodate a multi-role helicopter (like the ALH Dhruv or Sea King).
The warships will be fitted with ELM-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar, state-of-the-art electronic warfare suites (VARUNA ESM + SHAKTI), and target tracking systems.
GRSE, which has delivered the largest number of warships to the Navy and Coast Guard (118) is now building about 40 platforms.
Only nine of these are warships.
At the recent launch of a Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel, GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Commodore P R Hari, Indian Navy (Retd), urged the Navy to place orders soon to help the shipyard decide whether more orders for commercial vessels can be accepted.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Impressive specs for ships of that size—32 knots top speed and 30 days endurance is no joke. The distributed lethality concept seems very modern. Hope the contract doesn't get delayed by bureaucracy.
My father served in the Navy for 20 years. Every time I read news like this, it makes me proud that we are reducing dependence on foreign suppliers. But 40,000 crore for eight ships—hope the cost is justified and there's no corruption in the deal.
Good to see GRSE and GSL both getting orders—this will boost 'Make in India' in defense. But I hope the CCS nod doesn't get stuck in red tape as often happens. Our Navy needs these corvettes urgently given the challenges in the Indian Ocean.
Distributed lethality from small platforms—this is exactly what we need for coastal defense and patrolling. Eight Brahmos per ship will strike fear into any adversary. Just wish our shipyards delivered faster; the Navy has been waiting for years for these.
It's encouraging to see Indian defense manufacturing moving forward with such advanced systems like the ELM-2248 radar and VARUNA/SHAKTI EW suites. These corvettes will be world-class. I just hope the government prioritizes signing this contract soon.
R