On 2 November 2026, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth ₹53,866.50 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) to build eight Next Generation Corvettes for the Indian Navy. The contracts were signed in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.
Construction and capabilities
GRSE, based in Kolkata, will build five corvettes and GSL will build three. For the first time, warships designed by the Indian Navy will be constructed by Defence Public Sector Undertakings selected through a competitive process. The vessels will carry advanced missiles, weapons and sensor systems for operations in air, surface and sub-surface domains, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, coastal defence and maritime surveillance.
Employment and delivery timeline
Construction is expected to generate about 72 lakh person-days of employment at the shipyards and 460 lakh person-days in ancillary industries and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises over ten years. The corvettes are intended to replace the Navy’s ageing Khukri and Kora classes, with the first vessel expected to be delivered by 2030. The project supports the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives in defence manufacturing.
Important Facts for Exams
- Defence shipbuilding: Goa Shipyard was requisitioned to manufacture warships for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard after Portugal’s defeat and surrender in 1961.
- Defence shipyard administration: India’s four defence shipyards are GRSE, GSL, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Hindustan Shipyard; all fall under the Ministry of Defence’s Department of Defence Production.
- Corvette classification: The term ‘corvette’ has no universally standardised displacement threshold; navies apply it to combatants of differing sizes, endurance and operational roles.
Exam Summary
On 2 November 2026, the Ministry of Defence signed ₹53,866.50-crore contracts with Kolkata-based GRSE and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for eight Next Generation Corvettes—five by GRSE and three by GSL. Competitive selection of Defence PSUs marks first construction of Navy-designed warships under this model. Equipped for air, surface and sub-surface warfare, they will replace Khukri and Kora classes; first delivery by 2030. Supports Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India.
