New Delhi’s state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has laid the keel for the Indian Navy’s first Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV) in Kerala, formally commencing construction of the lead ship, designated BY 531.
The milestone comes a day after CSL conducted the steel-cutting ceremony for the second vessel in the class, BY 532.
Designed for Complex Maritime Operations
The construction program follows an approximately $1 billion contract signed in 2023 between India’s Ministry of Defence and CSL for the construction of six corvette-type vessels.
Once commissioned, the NGMVs are expected to perform a range of missions, including surface warfare, precision strikes against surface and land targets, protection of offshore infrastructure, and interdiction operations around strategic maritime choke points in the Indian Ocean.
The program also represents CSL’s first move into constructing heavily armed, high-speed surface combatants for the Indian Navy.
NGMV Capabilities and Armament
The Indian Navy’s NGMV will be approximately 89 meters (292 feet) long, with a 12-meter (39-foot) beam, and will accommodate more than 80 personnel. The vessel will also feature facilities for a rigid-hull inflatable boat.
Its weapons suite is expected to include Kavach anti-missile decoy systems, a 76mm naval gun, 30mm rotary close-in weapon systems, 12.7mm remote-controlled weapon stations, BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles, Vertical Launch Short Range Surface-to-Air Missiles, Very Short Range Air Defense Systems, and loitering munitions.
The vessel is designed to achieve an endurance of more than 10 days, a top speed of 35 knots (65 km/h or 40 mph), and a range of approximately 2,800 nautical miles (5,186 km or 3,222 miles).
Propulsion will reportedly be provided by a General Electric LM2500 gas turbine, two Pielstick 12PA 6 STC6 diesel engines, and three Kongsberg Kamewa waterjets.
