Navy getting ships as per “DREAM INDIAN NAVY 2040”
A book NAVIGATING DANGEROUS WATERS has a chapter “DREAM INDIAN NAVY 2040”. It looks like that both the Indian Navy and the Ministry of Defence are planning and ordering Ships as per the book.
The book talks of six aircraft carriers and that is what Shri Rajnath Singh the Raksha Mantri said a few weeks back. The book talks of 4x fleet with 8x frigates each i.e. total of 32 frigates. By 2026 the Navy will have all 7 frigates of Project 17 A and four frigates from Russia / Goa Shipyard. Thus Navy will have total of 23 of them.
Now as per recent reports, Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) are the frontrunners in the race for the fresh ₹70,000 crore warships order for the Indian Navy. These warships are part of the Project 17B and these 6500 ton ships will be the most advanced frigates to be built in India.
Both Mazagon Dock and Garden Reach Shipbuilders have seen a significant increase in their market capitalization in 2024, with Mazagon Dock’s share price surging by 151% and Garden Reach Shipbuilders’ order book full for the next 20 years. Mazagon Dockyards Limited is also expected to sign a contract for three additional Kalvari class submarines. GRSE has completed the delivery of its 100th warship and has orders in hand for 22 more warships. Both companies have seen a significant increase in their market capitalization in 2024.
NAVIGATING DANGEROUS WATER talks of four fleets, that is each Naval Command having 1 x Fleet with two flotillas + a Carrier Battle Group + a Submarine Flotilla. There will be 6x frigates with the fleet and 2xfrigates with the CBG. It comes to total of 32 frigates.
However the book also talks of 3x frigates each as Command reserve Squadrons ie additional 12 frigates. So MoD must plan to give orders for 12x Frigates as part of Project 17 C but to Goa shipyard only. This is because Mazgaon and GRSE have to get cracking on the new 10000 ton next generation destroyers of which we need 19 as per the book. The book talks of 32 destroyers and presently we have only 13 0f them.
The Cochin ship yard can be assigned the 14000 ton Cruisers of which Navy needs 8 of them.
