India’s Largest Single-Month Naval Induction Includes Five Indigenous Warships

The Indian Navy is set to induct five indigenous built naval platforms this month in what defence officials have described as the largest single month induction of the fleet in recent years.

The incoming vessels cover three different categories of mission – two Project 17A stealth frigates, one survey ship and two Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWC). Their commissioning is a major milestone in the Navy’s drive toward a 200-ship fleet by 2035.

INS Dunagiri, a Project 17A stealth frigate built by Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), is leading the induction. It is a multi-role surface warfare ship armed with state-of-the-art sensors, network-centric warfare systems and what Indian defence sources describe as supersonic BrahMos cruise missiles and the Barak-8 surface-to-air missile system.

INS Mahendragiri is the second in the batch of Project 17A frigates built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) at Mumbai. The two frigates together are the state-of-the-art of India’s indigenous warship design capability.

The Project 17A class was designed to extend the Navy’s reach far beyond the Indian coast line, into the deeper Indo-Pacific where China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has significantly expanded its footprint. The PLAN now has in excess of 300 surface combatants and submarines.

Survey Vessel (Large) Sanshodhak completes mid-tier additions. The ship is configured for hydrographic surveys and mapping of the seabed and is useful for military navigation planning and maritime domain awareness across the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

Batch of two ASW Shallow Water Crafts, Agray and Malvan complete the batch. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), they are designed to detect, track and neutralise hostile submarines in the shallow coastal waters around the Indian peninsula. As regional submarine activity increases, the need for coastal anti-submarine capability has been renewed.

All five platforms have been constructed by Indian public sector shipyards — GRSE, MDL and CSL — under the government’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) programme. The Navy now has 130-140 vessels and is getting a new warship or submarine every 40 days or so, defence analysts say.

The speed is part of a deliberate plan. Vice Chief of the Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan had last October confirmed that 10 ships and one submarine were inducted in 2025, with 19 more vessels planned for 2026 and 13 more in 2027. That path would get the fleet to almost 175 ships by 2035, the Navy’s stated mid-term goal.

With the indigenous construction of large-deck carriers, stealth frigates and anti-submarine platforms by domestic yards, India has emerged as the only non-P5 nation that can build both aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered ballistic submarines. June’s commissions demonstrate how fully India’s industrial base has matured.