India has approved a project to construct Next Generation Corvettes. Existing types of corvettes within the Indian Navy include the Kamorta-class vessels (pictured above). (Indian Navy)
India's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has approved the procurement of Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for INR360 billion (USD4.6 billion).
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on 6 June that the DAC had accorded âAcceptance of Necessity' (AoN) for the NGCs, which will be built by a local shipbuilder for the Indian Navy.
The MoD said the NGCs would be built on a ânew in-house designâ to undertake roles including surveillance, escort, deterrence, âsurface action group operationsâ, search and attack, and coastal defence.
The MoD did not disclose the number of NGCs to be procured. However, Janes understands that the Indian Navy plans to acquire eight vessels. A shipbuilder to construct the NGCs will be identified by the MoD soon.
In addition to the new corvettes, the DAC accorded AoN status for the procurement of other military equipment worth INR403.9 billion from local industry.
For the Indian Army, these items include rough-terrain forklift trucks, bridge-laying tanks, unspecified wheeled armoured fighting vehicles with anti-tank guided missiles, and weapon-locating radars.
The MoD said AoN was also accorded for the production of Dornier aircraft of unspecified type and aero-engines for Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighter aircraft. These projects will be undertaken by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, it added.
Similar acceptance was provided for a project named âDigital coastguard', said the MoD. It added that the project will establish a secure network for âdigitising surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance, and human resource processesâ within the Indian Coast Guard.
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