India Orders Eight Next-Generation Corvettes in $5.7 Billion Deal: Its First Fully In-House Warship Design
India’s Ministry of Defence signed contracts on November 2 worth ₹53,866.5 crore (roughly $5.7 billion) for eight Next Generation Corvettes (Project 28A, or NGC). Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) will build five of the ships, while Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will build the remaining three. GRSE won the contract as the lowest bidder.
What sets this project apart is procurement process as much as price tag: it is the first class of warships the Indian Navy has designed entirely in-house, and the state-owned shipyards building it were selected through competitive bidding rather than the direct nomination that has traditionally governed such awards.
Six years from request to contract
The program traces back to 2016, when the Navy issued a Request for Information for seven corvettes. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) raised that number to eight in June 2022. The Cabinet Committee on Security cleared the project on October 28, 2026, with the contract signing following just days later, on November 2.
Technical profile
The new corvettes will measure 127.4 meters in length and 17.6 meters in beam, with a displacement of 4,950 tons. Top speed is rated at 26 knots, and each ship will carry a crew of 11 officers and 139 sailors. Propulsion comes from a CODAG-CC (combined diesel and gas turbine, cross-connected) arrangement driving two controllable-pitch propellers, and each corvette will have a hangar for a helicopter or UAV.
According to GRSE’s press release, the weapons fit includes Medium Range Anti-Ship Missiles (MRAShM) and Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM), with 16 MRSAM rounds split across two eight-cell vertical launch units. The ships will also carry 324 mm torpedo tubes, an OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount, an AK-630 close-in weapon system, 12.7 mm stabilised remote-controlled guns with electro-optic fire control, an electro-optical search-and-track system, and the Multi-Function Surveillance, Track and Guidance Radar (MFSTAR). Promotional renders suggest up to 16 anti-ship missiles, though that figure is not yet confirmed, and the RBU 6000 rocket launcher does not appear to be fitted in the initial configuration.
Timeline and mission set
The first corvette is targeted to launch by late 2029, with deliveries expected to begin in 2031. The class is designed for a broad mission set spanning offensive anti-ship strikes, anti-submarine warfare, escort duties, air defense and participation in surface action groups.
Part of a wider fleet renewal
The NGC program fits into a larger wave of Indian naval modernization. The Defence Research and Development Organisation’s (DRDO) turbojet-powered NASM-MR anti-ship missile had its first test launch in June 2026, and the new corvettes are expected to be among the first surface classes to carry it. Separately, approval is reportedly moving forward for four Next Generation Destroyers of roughly 10,000 tons each, though that has not yet been formally confirmed.
Assessment
The contract’s most notable feature is less its price tag than its procurement logic. By designing the ships in-house and opening production to competition, the Indian Navy is pushing for both tighter cost control and a stronger grip on domestic engineering capacity. The approach bears a conceptual resemblance to the “national design plus domestic shipyard” model Türkiye has pursued with its MİLGEM program, and it reflects a broader trend among large navies toward design independence in procurement strategy. The real test will be whether the 2029-2031 delivery timeline holds.
Sources:
- Naval News, “Indian Navy Places Orders for Eight Next Generation Corvettes” (Adithya Krishna Menon, November 3, 2026) — used for contract value, shipyard split, technical specifications, timeline and background; the report draws on the Indian Ministry of Defence’s contract-signing announcement and GRSE’s press release. Link
