Defence Ministry signs Rs. 19600 crores contract to acquire 11 Next-Gen Offshore Patrol Vessels

The Indian Navy will get 11 next-gen Offshore Patrol Vessels and 6 missile vessels as per the new Rs 19,600 crore contract signed by the Defence Ministry. All 17 vessels will be manufactured indigenously by Indian Shipyards.

Out of the 11 next-gen Offshore Patrol Vehicles (OPVs), the contract for designing, developing and manufacturing 7 OPVs is given to Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) and the remaining 4 will be manufactured by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. The delivery of the OPVs is scheduled to begin in September 2026, as per the Defence Ministries’ announcement.

Ins Vikrant

The construction of the 11 OPVs is estimated to cost Rs 9,781 crores and is estimated to generate employment of 110 lakh man-days over seven and a half years. These ships will aid the Navy in anti-piracy, anti-trafficking, and non-combatant evacuation operations and maintain the Navy’s combat capability.

The contract for the acquisition of 6 next-generation missile vessels (NGMV) is signed with Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for Rs 9,805 crore. The delivery for the missile ships is scheduled to begin in March 2027. The NGMV will be heavily armed warships with the capability of anti-surface war and conducting maritime strike operations.

The ministry also stated that indigenous manufacturing will increase the participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries. The majority of the equipment and systems are sourced from local manufacturers making the vessels flag bearers of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.    

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