India’s blue-water Navy aims for 200 warships and submarines by 2035

India is steadily steaming ahead to have a stronger and networked blue-water Navy with over 200 warships and submarines by 2035 to protect its vast maritime interests and tackle the fast-expanding collusive threat from China and Pakistan on the high seas after the land borders.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN Our SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

With the maritime domain becoming increasingly crucial in the national strategic calculus amid the ongoing geopolitical churn, the Navy currently has 55 big and small warships under construction in Indian shipyards at an overall cost of around INR995 billion, The Times of India reported.

The Indian Navy also has initial approval or Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for indigenous construction of 74 warships and vessels for INR 2.35 trillion.

These projects, for which contracts are yet to be inked, include major ones for nine diesel-electric submarines, seven next-generation multi-role stealth frigates, eight antisubmarine warfare corvettes, and 12 mine countermeasure vessels.

Also, there are other projects in the pipeline for the grant of AoN. They include four next-generation destroyers with a displacement of 10,000-tonne each.