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| Abhay class Corvette (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI
NEW DELHI — India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued a tender to local shipyards to build 16 shallow water anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels, a $2.25 billion program that would mark the first such effort by domestic yards.
The tender, in the “Buy and Make India” category, was issued last week to private sector companies Larsen & Toubro, ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering, and to state-owned Goa Shipyard and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers. The vessels would replace Russian-made Abhay-class corvettes commissioned in 1989 and 1991.
The domestic companies will need to tie up with overseas defense companies to acquire certain critical technologies, officials said.
“The domestic defense companies have the ability to build the shallow craft but will need to tie up with overseas companies, especially to procure a variety of sonars,” said a senior Indian Navy official.
Read the full story at DefenseNews