CHENNAI: Indian Navy plans to induct about 15 warships in 2026, setting an unprecedented benchmark of fleet expansion in the service’s history, according to Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.
Speaking in Chennai after commissioning INS Anjadip, a new shallow-water anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform, on Friday, Chief of Naval Staff Dinesh K Tripathi said the Navy had commissioned 12 warships and one submarine in 2025 alone, signalling a sustained acceleration in force induction.
The Navy is on course to become a 200-plus ship force by 2035, Tripathi said, adding that all 50 vessels currently on order are being built in Indian shipyards.
“Moving beyond platforms, our aim is to take aatmanirbharta to the component level and build a fully self-reliant force by 2047,” the admiral said, while stressing that indigenous capability would need to be matched with partnerships and interoperability to remain effective in a contested maritime environment.
Beyond headline numbers, the Navy is placing renewed emphasis on undersea and anti-submarine warfare — a capability gap that has drawn growing scrutiny as strategic competition intensifies across the Indo-Pacific.
Anjadip is the fourth of 16 shallow-water ASW craft planned for induction and is intended primarily for operations along India’s eastern seaboard. Equipped with shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockts and an indigenous combat management system, the vessel is designed for coastal and littoral operations, where submarine detection is particularly challenging.
Admiral Tripathi said the class reflects a broader shift towards improving maritime domain awareness and sea-denial capabilities close to shore, even as larger surface combatants and submarines expand India’s blue-water reach.
The accelerated build-up comes against what Tripathi described as a “complex and sensitive” maritime security environment, marked by the spillover of continental tensions into sea lanes that underpin global trade and energy flows.
Recent disruptions have underscored this vulnerability. Attacks and counter-operations in the Red Sea have forced shipping to reroute, driving freight rates on key Asia–Europe corridors up by as much as 300–350%, while precautionary closures in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical global energy choke point — have triggered sharp, if brief, spikes in oil prices.
He said since October 2023, Indian naval deployments in the Red Sea have escorted nearly 400 merchant vessels carrying oil and cargo worth more than $7bn to and from India, according to official estimates. Indian warships continue to operate alongside partner navies in anti-piracy patrols and coordinated surveillance missions across the Indian Ocean Region.
Anjadip’s induction also highlights the Navy’s evolving industrial ecosystem. The vessel was built through a public–private collaboration led by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in partnership with L&T Kattupalli, while its combat management system was designed by Bharat Electronics Limited.
The ship’s name carries historical resonance, recalling Anjadip Island off Goa, which witnessed decisive naval action during the 1961 operation that led to the territory’s liberation.