Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited is awaiting the signing of a contract worth nearly ₹40,000 crore for building Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy, officials said on Wednesday. The Kolkata-based defence PSU has emerged as the lowest bidder and is in line to construct five of the eight warships the Navy plans to induct, with the project now pending a final clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS).

Project status and order split

According to officials, nearly every aspect of the programme has been finalised, with only the CCS approval outstanding. Once cleared, GRSE is expected to build five corvettes while the remaining three are likely to be constructed by Goa Shipyard Limited.

Capabilities of the Next Generation Corvettes

The NGCs are designed around the concept of ‘distributed lethality', offering significant strike power from compact, highly mobile platforms. Each warship will have a displacement of about 3,500 tonnes, a top speed of nearly 32 knots, and an endurance of 30 days without replenishment.

‘These warships will be equipped with eight Extended Range Brahmos cruise missiles. They will also have 16-32 Vertical Launch Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles alongside AK-630 close-in weapon system for air defence,' an official said.

Anti-submarine and sensor suite

For anti-submarine warfare, the NGCs will carry advanced hull-mounted sonars, active towed array sonars, and triple-tube torpedo launchers. They will also be capable of operating a multi-role helicopter such as the ALH Dhruv or Sea King.

The sensor and electronic warfare fit reportedly includes the ELM-2248 MF-STAR AESA radar, the VARUNA ESM and SHAKTI electronic warfare suites, and modern target tracking systems — making the NGCs among the most advanced platforms in their class for the Navy.

GRSE's order book and the wait for new contracts

GRSE has delivered 118 warships to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard — the highest by any Indian shipyard — and currently has around 40 platforms under construction, of which only nine are warships. At the recent launch of a Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel, GRSE Chairman and Managing Director Commodore P R Hari (Retd) urged the Navy to place orders soon, noting that the timing would help the shipyard decide whether to accept additional commercial vessel orders.

The CCS clearance, when it comes, will mark one of the largest indigenous warship contracts of the year and reinforce the Navy's push toward a fully ‘Made in India' surface combatant fleet.