India Signs $5.7 Billion Deal for Eight Next-Generation Corvettes

India has placed one of its largest warship orders of the year. The Defence Ministry has awarded contracts worth 538.67 billion rupees, about $5.7 billion, for eight next-generation corvettes for the Indian Navy, according to a ministry statement reported on November 9.

The work is split between two state-owned shipbuilders. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in Kolkata will build five ships, and Goa Shipyard Limited will build the other three. On average, that works out to roughly $710 million per ship, including weapons, sensors and support.

How the eight ships are split between the two shipyards. Militrax graphic.

What the corvettes will do

The ministry said the ships are designed for anti-ship and anti-submarine warfare, coastal defense and the protection of maritime trade routes. They will also carry out littoral combat and maritime surveillance, and maintain a naval presence in coastal waters, with missiles, guns and sensors to deal with air, surface and underwater threats.

According to the ministry, this is the first program to combine a warship designed specifically by the Indian Navy with construction at state-owned defense shipyards. Construction will draw on Indian suppliers of materials, equipment and technology, including smaller businesses.

The ministry did not publish the ships' displacement, detailed specifications or a delivery schedule in the statement reported so far.

Why India wants more corvettes

Corvettes are smaller and cheaper than frigates and destroyers, which makes them useful for patrolling coastlines, hunting submarines in shallow water and escorting merchant shipping close to home. That frees larger warships for operations further out in the Indian Ocean.

Garden Reach Shipbuilders has experience with this class of ship. It built the Kamorta-class anti-submarine corvettes, including INS Kavaratti, the last of the four, which joined the fleet in 2020.

The order adds to a busy period for Indian naval shipbuilding, as New Delhi tries to keep pace with China's rapidly growing navy and its increasing presence in the Indian Ocean.