CCS Clears Rs 40,000 Crore Deal for Eight Next-Generation Navy Corvettes

October 30, 2026

File Photo: Khukri-class corvette INS Kirpan

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has cleared a Rs 40,000-crore proposal to build eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy, paving the way for contracts with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).

“The contracts for the eight warships are expected to be signed in the next few days,” a senior official said. The Navy is expected to receive the first vessel by 2030.

The eight corvettes will be built to a new indigenous design developed by the Navy, incorporating modern shipbuilding technologies. The vessels are intended to provide a combination of anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, strengthening the Navy’s ability to undertake surveillance, escort, deterrence and coastal defence missions, besides search-and-attack operations.

Under the procurement arrangement, GRSE, which emerged as the lowest bidder (L1), will construct five vessels, while GSL, the second-lowest bidder, will build the remaining three at the same unit cost. The Defence Ministry opened the commercial bids on May 21, 2025.

The project has been in the pipeline for nearly a decade. The Navy initially initiated the process in October 2016 with a requirement for seven corvettes, stipulating a range of at least 4,000 nautical miles and a top speed of 27 knots. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) subsequently accorded approval for the procurement in June 2022, with an estimated cost of $4.6 billion.

Typically displacing between 1,000 and 3,000 tonnes and capable of speeds of 25-30 knots, corvettes are relatively compact surface combatants designed for operations in coastal and open-sea environments. The new vessels are expected to replace the Navy’s ageing Khukri and Kora-class corvettes, adding greater operational flexibility and modern combat capabilities to its surface fleet.

For GRSE, the order will be a significant addition to its naval shipbuilding portfolio. The Kolkata-based shipyard has delivered 111 warships to the Indian Navy and friendly foreign navies, including six Khukri-class and Kora-class missile corvettes and four Kamorta-class anti-submarine warfare corvettes.

The shipyard is currently executing several major naval programmes, including Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels, Project 17A frigates and anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft.

Team BharatShakti