Navy Chief visits MDL; discusses preparedness for forthcoming projects
Kolkata: Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of the Naval Staff, visited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and held discussions with chairman and managing director Captain Jagmohan (Retd) on the shipyard’s preparedness for forthcoming Indian Navy projects.
“As the Indian Navy prepares for its next phase of expansion, MDL stands ready to build on this legacy and contribute to a stronger, self-reliant maritime India. During the discussions, the CMD reaffirmed the shipyard’s commitment to meeting the Navy’s future requirements,” the shipyard said in a statement.
“MDL’s enduring partnership with the Indian Navy has been instrumental in the shipyard’s growth as a leading builder of frontline warships and submarines, strengthening India’s indigenous naval capabilities,” MDL added.
The shipyard has built and delivered three of the four multi-mission advanced stealth guided-missile frigates under the Navy’s Project 17A that it was assigned to build. It has also built and delivered advanced guided-missile destroyers under Project 15B. MDL has also completed the Kalvari-class (Scorpene) conventional submarine line and is preparing for more orders.
The shipyard is also part of a consortium that has bid for the Navy’s large Landing Platform Docks (LPD) project. An LPD is a large landing craft that can carry troops, vehicles and aircraft. With plans to increase its fleet of warships and support vessels to 200 by 2035, the Navy has accelerated the pace of acquisitions. While 42 platforms are on order with Indian shipyards, 78 more vessels and 120 fast interceptor crafts (FICs), with an estimated combined value of Rs 2.41 lakh crore, have received acceptance of necessity (in-principle approval), and these are “at different stages of procurement process”, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar said recently.
The Navy Plans to procure four advanced guided-missile destroyers valued at around Rs 50,000 crore, building on the proven Kolkata- and Visakhapatnam-class designs with upgraded sensors and air defence systems. An RFP is likely in 2027. There is also a proposal to build six stealth Frigates under Project 17B. The value of this deal will be Rs 40,000 crore. These warships are likely to be shared by MDL and the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd.
The Navy is also looking at next-generation destroyers under Project 18A. These warships will be huge, with a displacement of 14,000 to 15,000 tons. The final clearance for construction of six conventional submarines with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), under Project 75(I), is expected any day. There are also plans to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines under Project 77.