Indian Navy’s New Weapons

India made history by commissioning three indigenously built warships into the Indian Navy. This includes a stealth frigate, a guided missile destroyer, and an attack submarine. This is the first time that India has commissioned three warships at once, all of which were developed and manufactured in India.

Details of the Warships:

• INS Nilgiri (Stealth Frigate):
  • Class: Part of the Project 17A class of stealth frigates.
  • Features: This frigate has advanced stealth capabilities, including a redesigned top deck and hidden mooring deck to reduce its radar signature.
  • Cost: Estimated at Rs 4,000 crore per ship.
  • Purpose: Designed to enhance India’s attack and stealth capabilities, these frigates are a major upgrade over the existing Shivalik-class frigates.
• INS Surat (Guided Missile Destroyer):
  • Class: Part of the Project 15B class, which includes the most powerful surface combatants in the Navy.
  • AI-enabled: The INS Surat is India’s first AI-enabled warship, incorporating artificial intelligence to enhance its operational capabilities.
  • Cost: Approximately Rs 8,950 crore.
  • Features: The ship is equipped with weapons like the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile, Barak-8 medium-range surface-to-air missiles, and several mounted guns. It is considered the best among the four ships in the Visakhapatnam class, with the other three ships already commissioned between 2021 and 2023.
• INS Vaghsheer (Attack Submarine):
  • Class: The last of the Scorpene-class submarines, known as a "hunter-killer" submarine.
  • Stealth Features: This submarine uses advanced acoustic absorption techniques and a revolutionary air-independent propulsion system to make it harder to detect.
  • Capabilities: It can carry out anti-surface and anti-submarine missions, gather intelligence, lay mines, and perform surveillance. It is equipped to fire torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.
  • Cost: Rs 3,942 crore per submarine.

 Strategic Importance:

• India’s Naval Strength: These new warships and submarine significantly enhance India’s naval capabilities and are expected to play a crucial role in safeguarding India’s maritime interests. The commissioning of these vessels is a major milestone, especially given the slow pace of warship production in India.
• Comparison with China: In the past decade, India has inducted 33 warships, while China has commissioned 148 warships. This shows the growing need for India to quickly ramp up its naval capabilities in light of China’s expansion in the region.
• Future Developments: India is currently constructing 62 more warships and submarines to further expand its naval fleet. The rapid construction and commissioning of these new vessels show India’s ability to quickly enhance its defense capabilities.