MoD Signs Rs 53,866.50 Crore Deal for 8 Next Generation Corvettes

The Ministry of Defence has placed orders worth Rs 53,866.50 crore for eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) that will join the Indian Navy. The two contracts were concluded at Kartavya Bhawan-2 in New Delhi on 2 November 2026, in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

Who will build the eight warships

The order has been divided between two shipyards owned by the government. Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) will build five of the corvettes and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will build the other three. Both yards were picked from among defence public sector undertakings through a competitive process rather than by nomination.

A first for Indian warship design

This is the first warship programme in which the vessels are designed in-house by the Indian Navy and then built by defence public sector undertakings selected competitively. The ministry describes it as a landmark for the country's own capability in designing and constructing warships, since both the drawing board work and the yard work stay within India.

What the corvettes will be able to do

Each ship is to carry modern missiles, weapon packages and sensor fits, so that it can act against targets in the air, on the water surface and below it. Once inducted, the corvettes are expected to help the Navy guard sea trade routes, fight surface ships and submarines, harden coastal defence, operate close to shore in littoral waters, and carry out patrol and surveillance tasks that keep an Indian presence at sea.

Employment and the shipbuilding chain

Both figures are spread over the coming ten years. The project also pulls in private shipyards and Indian industrial partners, including micro, small and medium enterprises, alongside the two main builders. By using Indian-made material, equipment, technology and skills, the order is presented as a step towards self-reliance, or Aatmanirbharta, in defence production and as part of the Make in India push.