By: Vivek Raghuvanshi
NEW DELHI - The Indian navy plans to acquire seven new-generation guided missile corvettes at a cost of $2 billion to replace its Russian-built 1241-RE missile boats, allowing only domestic companies to bid under the government's "Make in India" rules.
While the ships themselves must be constructed at an Indian shipyard, some major systems of the boats, particularly the weaponry, will be imported, an Indian Navy official said.
"I suppose most of the leading European and Russian shipyards will be in the fray," says Anil Jai Singh, retired Indian navy commodore and defense analyst.
"The imports could be the Short Range Surface to Air Missile SRSAM, surveillance radars, torpedoes and engines. The rest can be Indian -- that is, the gun, surface-to-surface missile systems, rockets, sonars, most of the navigation communications and electronic-warfare systems," says Sujeet Samaddar, another former Indian navy official and defense analyst.
The Indian sea service wants the new corvettes to have longer range than the old boats, capable of offensive nuclear submarines attack, anti-submarine warfare, local naval defense, maritime interdiction operations, and visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations, according to the a request for proposals sent to Indian industry.
"Missile corvettes are agile high-speed ships with considerable firepower, ideal for a littoral environment. These corvettes will probably have a potent anti-ship missile capability with an adequate point defense missile system and incorporating advanced stealth technologies," says Singh.
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