Prime Minister Modi Commissions Three New Indigenously Built Warships in Kolkata.
Indian Navy commissioned 3 indigenous warships on 21.03.2026.
In a significant boost to India’s maritime readiness and homegrown military production, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially commissioned three advanced frontline naval platforms into the Indian Navy on June 21, 2026. The simultaneous induction of the three distinct vessels—an advanced stealth frigate, a large hydrographic survey vessel, and a shallow-water anti-submarine craft—took place during a ceremony in Kolkata, West Bengal.
The event highlights India’s ongoing efforts to transition from one of the world’s largest arms importers to a self-sufficient producer of modern military technology. Speaking at the commissioning, Prime Minister Modi emphasized that economic and strategic influence on the global stage is directly linked to a nation’s independent maritime strength.
A Shift Toward Domestic Production
The journey from the historic induction of the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to the arrival of these three new vessels represents a deeper structural shift in how India equips its armed forces. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh labeled the triple commissioning a defining moment for the country’s manufacturing base, pointing out that more than 75 percent of the components used to build these ships were sourced domestically.
This emphasis on local sourcing has wider economic ripple effects. The construction of these three specific vessels involved collaboration with over 200 Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country, showing how modern military shipbuilding relies heavily on civilian industrial supply chains.
The push for self-reliance is supported by newly released financial data. India’s annual domestic defence production reached a record high of ₹1.78 lakh crore during the 2025–26 fiscal year—a 15.6 percent increase over the previous year and a major leap from the ₹40,000 crore produced a little over a decade ago in 2014. While public sector undertakings and state-run shipyards handle about 76 percent of this output, private sector participation has grown to an all-time high, contributing roughly ₹42,000 crore to the total. This industrial expansion has also driven India’s defence exports up to ₹38,424 crore over the same fiscal period.
Indian Navy’s INS Dunagiri.
The Three New Additions Explained
Each of the three newly commissioned vessels is designed to handle a completely different aspect of naval warfare and maritime strategy:
INS Dunagiri (Stealth Frigate): The largest and most combat-heavy platform of the three, this is the fifth Nilgiri-class stealth frigate built under the Navy’s Project 17A. Constructed using modern modular building techniques, it features advanced radar-evading hull designs, supersonic surface-to-surface missiles, and long-range anti-submarine equipment. It is also designed to carry and operate combat helicopters over extended ranges.
INS Sanshodhak (Survey Vessel Large): Coincidentally commissioned on World Hydrography Day, this is the fourth large-scale survey ship added to the fleet. Its main job is mapping the ocean floor, collecting precise underwater data, and supporting coastal development. However, it also features a flexible “dual-role” design, meaning it can be quickly reconfigured into a floating hospital ship during humanitarian crises or natural disasters.
INS Agray (Anti-Submarine Warfare Craft): This smaller, highly agile vessel is specifically engineered to hunt submarines in shallow, coastal waters. Powered by high-speed waterjets instead of traditional propellers, it is equipped with advanced sonar arrays, anti-submarine rockets, and lightweight torpedoes to defend littoral zones and shipping lanes.
Broader Maritime Goals
Beyond direct combat capabilities, these vessels are designed to act as flexible tools for regional diplomacy and disaster relief. The Indian Navy plans to deploy them for anti-piracy patrols, humanitarian assistance missions, and non-combatant evacuation operations to protect stranded citizens during overseas crises.
As geopolitical competition continues to grow across the Indo-Pacific, the introduction of these platforms underlines a clear national strategy: true long-term security in the Indian Ocean depends on a nation’s ability to build its own fleet from the ground up.
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