Future of the Indian Navy

The Indian Navy has been focusing on developing indigenous platforms, systems, sensors and weapons as part of the nation's modernisation and expansion of its maritime forces. As of 2014 the Indian Navy has 41 vessels of various types under construction, including an aircraft carrier; destroyers; frigates; corvettes; and conventional-powered and nuclear-powered submarines. In 2013 a senior naval official outlined the Indian Navy's intention to build a 200 ship navy over a 10-year period.[1] According to Chief of Naval Staff's statement in September 2014, India has transformed from a buyer's navy to a builder's navy.[2] All 41 ships under construction are being produced in Indian shipyards, both publicly and privately owned.[3] However some projects have suffered from long delays and cost overruns.[4]

Naval Ensign of India

Indian navy Carrier Battle Group in formation, showing some of the latest additions to the fleet.

Increasing Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy interest in the Indian Ocean region[5] has led the Indian Navy to invest more in anti-submarine ships, such as the Kamorta-class corvette, long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft such as P-8I Neptune and ships such as the Saryu-class patrol vessel[6] and unmanned aerial vehicles such as the IAI Heron-1.[7] However the lack of a strong submarine fleet has diminished its capabilities to some extent.[8] Post-Chinese intrusions into Ladakh in 2020, it has been announced that the Indian Navy plans to upgrade the military facilities in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on the eastern seaboard as well as Lakshadweep on the western seaboard, with the aim of having a network of island airbases in both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal which provides an infrastructure which will guarantee freedom of navigation and overflight to all Indian territories.[9]

Submarines

  This indicates that a Request For Information (RFI) has currently been issued for this project. The issue of RFI is not a commitment for procurement.

Nuclear Submarine

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Boats	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Arihant class		Ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)	4	India	6,000 - 7,000 tonnes	1 commissioned,[10] 1 launched,[11] 2 under construction[12]	A total of four submarines planned in two flights.[13] The first boat of the class, INS Arihant, commissioned in August 2016.[14] The second boat, INS Arighat, is being prepared for sea trials.[13]
S5 class		Ballistic missile submarine (SSBN)	3	India	13,500 tonnes	3 planned	Project was approved with a budget of ₹10,000 crore (US$1.4 billion).[13][15][16]
Indigenous SSN class		Attack submarine (SSN)	6	India	6,000 tonnes	6 planned	6 boats are planned and are expected to be constructed at the Shipbuilding Centre (SBC) at Visakhapatnam.[17] Project clearance was granted by the Cabinet Committee on Security in February 2015.[18]
Akula class		Attack submarine (SSN)	1	Russia	12,770 tonnes	1 planned	In March 2019, India signed a US$3 billion agreement with Russia to lease another Akula-class submarine, which is expected to join the Indian Navy by 2025.[19]

Conventional

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Boats	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Kalvari class		Attack submarine	6	India  France	1,800 tonnes	2 active, 2 undergoing sea trials 2 under construction[20][21][22]	All delveries are expected to be completed by 2022.[23]
Project 75I class		Attack submarine	6	India		6 planned	Defence Acquisition Council cleared the purchase of six submarines worth ₹53,000 crore (US$7.4 billion) in October 2014.[24] In April 2019, an Expression of Interest was issued for twelve stealth submarines capable of remaining underwater for much longer period and firing land-attack and anti-ship cruise missiles.[25]

Midget submarines

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Boats	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Swimmer Delivery Vehicle		Midget submarine	2	India	150 tonnes	2 planned	Hindustan Shipyard Limited[26] will construct two midget submarine at an estimated cost of ₹ 2,000 crore. SOVs will be used by MARCOS for conducting special operations.[24]

Ships

  This indicates that the project a Request For Information (RFI) has currently been issued for this project. The issue of RFI is not a commitment for procurement.

Aircraft carriers

Name	Picture	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
INS Vikrant		1	India	40,000 tonnes	Under construction	Expected to be delivered in 2021.[27]
INS Vishal		1	India	65,000 tonnes	Planned TO BE INDUCTED AFTER 2030 [28]

Amphibious warfare ships

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Multi-Role Support Vessel		Landing helicopter dock	4	India	21,000 to 27,000 tonnes	4 planned	Only Indian shipyards partnered with an international shipyard can participate in the programme. The Indian Navy is yet to select a design which meets its specification.[29]
High Speed Landing Craft			6	India	285 tonnes	6 planned	In September 2017, Indian Navy issues a RFI to acquire six landing craft capable of supporting assault missions and transporting equipment, vehicles & troops.[30][31]
Mk. IV LCU		Landing craft utility (LCU)	8	India	830 tonnes	7 commissioned 1 under construction	Seventh LCU got commissioned on May 15, 2020[32]

Destroyers

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Visakhapatnam class		Stealth guided missile destroyer	4	India	7,400 tonnes	3 launched, 1 under-construction	Follow on of the Kolkata-class destroyer with improved stealth features.

Frigates

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Nilgiri class		Stealth guided missile frigate	7	India	6,670 tonnes	1 launched 5 under construction 1 more planned	Four ships will be constructed by Mazagon Dock while the remaining three by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers.[33][34][35]
Talwar class		Stealth guided missile frigate	10	Russia	4,035 tonnes	6 commissioned 2 under construction 2 planned[36]	Four additional vessels to be built in a joint partnership between Russia and India in an Indian shipyard.[37]

Corvettes

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Anti Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft		Corvette (ASW)	16	India	700 tonnes	16 on order	Eight vessels each constructed by GRSE and Cochin Shipyard, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026.[38][39]
Next Generation Missile Vessels		Corvette (ASuW)	6	India	2,000-2,200 tonnes	6 planned	In January 2015, the Ministry of Defence issued Request For Information (RFI) for six next-generation missile vessels under the "Buy Indian and Make Indian" category.[40] An RfP worth $2.2 billion was filed by government of India to various Indian shipyards seeking for various warships including missile boats.[41]

Mine countermeasure vessels

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
GSL Mine Counter-Measure Vessels		Minesweeper	12	India		12 planned	In February 2015, the Ministry of Defence approved the building of 12 minesweepers at a cost of ₹ 32,000 crore in Goa Shipyard Ltd.[42]

Patrol vessels

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Shachi-class offshore patrol vessel (Project 21 class)		Offshore patrol vessel	5	India	2,000 tonnes	5 under construction (2 of these launched)[43]	The deal is unlikely to be continued as Anil Ambani's Reliance Group, the parent company of RNEL, the contractor for the deal is facing bankruptcy. Further its bank guarantee has been encashed and punitive action has been taken against it due to the delays.[44]
Next Generation OPV		Offshore patrol vessel	6	India	2,500 tonnes	6 planned	[45][46][47]

Utility and special mission ships

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
DRDO Technology Demonstration Vessel		Missile range instrumentation ship	1	India	11,300 tonnes	Under construction	Under construction at Cochin Shipyard. Also referred to as Ship No. 20[48][49][50][51]
VC11184 Ocean Surveillance Ship		Ocean surveillance ship	1	India	10,000 tonnes	Undergoing sea trials[52]	Project VC11184 was sanctioned ₹1,500 crore (US$210 million) by the Indian Government with delivery scheduled in 2018.[53][54][55][56]

Replenishment ships

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
		Replenishment ship	5	India	45,000 tonnes	5 planned	Approved in 2014, originally planned to be built by Hindustan Shipyard with Hyundai Heavy Industries as technology partner.[57][58] After their agreement fell through, a consortium of Turkish shipyards replaced Hyundai.[59]

Survey vessels

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
Makar class		Survey vessel	6	India	500 tonnes	1 commissioned 5 cancelled	The deal is likely to be canceled due to over 10-year delays in the supply by private sector shipyard Alcock Ashdown.[60]
GRSE class		Survey vessel	4	India	3,000–3,500 tonnes	1 under construction 3 more planned	In September 2017, GRSE won a bid for ₹2,500 crore (US$350 million).[61][62] Contract signed in October 2018.[63] Keel for first vessel laid down in November 2019.[64]

Miscellaneous

Class	Picture	Type	No. of Ships	Origin	Displacement	Status	Note
		Tugboat	4	India		Under construction	10-tonne bollard pull tugs being constructed at Hindustan Shipyard[65][66]
		Diving support vessel	2	India	7,650 tonnes[67]	2 under construction	In December 2017, Hindustan Shipyard won a bid to build two ships for ₹2,019 crore (US$280 million). Contract for the same was signed in September 2018. Keel laid for the first vessel in December 2019. The first ship is expected to be delivered in three years.[68][67][69]

Aircraft

See also: Indian Naval Air Arm § Future aircraft

Type	Picture	Role	No. of airframes	Origin	Status	Note
Twin-engine deck-based fighter TEDBF / Omni role combat aircraft ORCA		Carrier Borne Multi-role Fighter	Unspecified	India	Under development	The design of the Omni Role Combat Aircraft (ORCA), an Air Force variant of the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF), with significant design differences, was being studied as of 2020. The first flight of the TEDBF is targeted for 2025-26 with the fighter expected to be inducted into the Navy by 2031.[70]
Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters		Carrier Borne Multi-role Fighter	36		Planned	In late January 2017, the Indian Navy released an international Request for Information (RFI) for 57 "Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters" (MRCBFs). The main contest is between Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and Dassault Rafale-M Number revised to 36 from 57 in mid 2020.[71][72]
Medium Range Maritime Reconnaissance Aircraft		Reconnaissance and SAR missions	6 to 9		Planned	The Indian Navy issued an RFP for six medium-range maritime reconnaissance (MRMR) aircraft. The possible contenders are; the ATR-72MP/ATR-42MP, the EADS C-295MPA/C-235MPA, the Dassault Falcon 900MPA and the Embraer P-99A. The procurement number was increased to nine as per news reports in February 2012.[73]
Boeing P-8I Neptune		Reconnaissance, ASW, ASuW	12	United States	8 in service 4 ordered 10 planned	Four ordered in 2016 at a cost of US$1.1 billion, ten more planned to be procured at a cost of US$3 billion.[74]
ShinMaywa US-2		Air-sea rescue (SAR)	12	Japan	Planned	Indian navy intends to acquire 12 US-2 amphibian aircraft for conducting long-range search-and-rescue operations at cost of $1.65 billion. Two US-2s will be directly imported and remaining ten will be assembled locally in India.[75]
Sikorsky MH-60R		Multi-Role Helicopter	24	United States	24 on order	The helicopters will replace the ageing Sea King helicopters.They will be equipped with anti-submarine Mark 54 torpedoes and Hellfire air-to-surface missiles, along with precision-kill rockets.[76] A contract for 24 helicopters was signed on US president Donald Trump's visit to India.[77]
Grumman E-2 Hawkeye		Airborne Early Warning (AEW)	4 to 6 planned	United States	planned	The U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman briefed the Indian Navy on the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye on its potential use to satisfy its current shore-based and future carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) requirements. The Indian Navy has reportedly expressed interest in acquiring up to six Hawkeyes.[78]
Kamov Ka-31		Airborne early warning and control	10	Russia	In service already with INAS339- The Falcons since 2003.[79] More planned.	Ministry of Defence has approved purchase of 10 helicopters for $500 million.[80][81]
Naval Multi-Role Helicopter		Multi-Role Helicopter	123		Planned	To replace Westland Sea King helicopters.[82][83]
Naval Utility Helicopter		Utility helicopter	111		Planned	To replace HAL Chetak helicopters.[84][85][86][87]

See also

• List of active Indian Navy ships

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