India has signed contracts worth ₹538.67 billion (approximately $5.7 billion) for the construction of eight next-generation corvettes designed to strengthen maritime security and support anti-ship, anti-submarine and coastal defence operations. The Defence Ministry awarded the contracts to two state-owned shipbuilders during a signing ceremony in New Delhi. Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers will construct five corvettes, while Goa Shipyard Limited will build the remaining three. According to the ministry, the programme marks the first time a warship specifically designed by the Indian Navy will be constructed by state-owned defence shipyards under this arrangement. The vessels will be equipped with missiles, other weapons and advanced sensors to detect and engage threats in the air, on the surface and underwater. Their missions will include littoral warfare, maritime surveillance and maintaining a naval presence in coastal waters. Construction is expected to involve Indian suppliers of materials, equipment and technology, including smaller businesses supporting the two shipyards. The programme forms part of India’s broader efforts to improve maritime security and strengthen monitoring of vessel movements across the region. Separately, satellite intelligence provider Vantor secured a US Navy contract earlier this year to supply intelligence supporting the Indian Navy and other Indo-Pacific partners. Its Maritime Sentry system uses artificial intelligence to analyse radar and optical satellite imagery, helping detect and track vessels across large ocean areas. The system can also identify so-called dark vessels that switch off, manipulate or do not transmit Automatic Identification System signals, making them difficult to monitor through conventional maritime surveillance methods.
