Indian Navy to Induct 30+ Warships by 2027, Set to Cross 165-Vessel Fleet Strength

Heightened productivity across India’s major shipyards, including MDL, GRSE, GSL, CSL, and several rising private-sector facilities, now form an integral part of India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem

- 

The Indian Navy is poised for one of its most significant expansion phases in decades, with more than 36 new warships and auxiliary vessels scheduled for induction by December 2027.

This sweeping modernisation effort, anchored in the Government of India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative, is expected to push the Navy's overall force level beyond 165 combat and support vessels, placing India firmly among the world’s leading maritime powers and strengthening its influence across the Indo-Pacific.

Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan recently confirmed that 19 warships are slated for induction in 2026, followed by another 13 in 2027. These two years will mark the peak of India's indigenous shipbuilding momentum, complementing the ongoing deliveries in 2025. By October 2025 alone, the Navy had already commissioned ten vessels, with four more expected before the year ends.

These achievements reflect the heightened productivity across India's major shipyards, including Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Cochin Shipyard Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited, and several rising private-sector facilities that now form an integral part of India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.

Several categories of warships are in various stages of construction or sea trials as part of the ambitious delivery programme through 2027. A key component of this growth is the induction of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (SWC), entrusted to both CSL and GRSE.

These compact but highly capable vessels will expand the Navy's capacity to detect and neutralise hostile submarines in shallow waters, an operational requirement that has grown more urgent amid increasing Chinese submarine traffic in the Indian Ocean Region.

INS Mahe, the first SWC delivered by Cochin Shipyard, has already entered service, with multiple follow-on vessels lined up for handover between 2025 and 2027.