Indian Navy’s 48 warships being built indigenously
Hailing the country’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities, Vice Admiral P Murugesan, Vice Chief of the Navy, on Tuesday said that 48 warships were currently under construction in Indian shipyards.These 48 ships being manufactured for the Indian Navy include aircraft carriers, frigates, destroyers, submarines, corvettes and fast attack crafts.
The vice admiral was speaking at the simultaneous launch of three Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts (WJFAC) at the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) here.
“It is a proud reflection of our indigenous capabilities that we are building all kinds of warships. GRSE has so far built 94 ships for the navy,” added Murugesan.
The three WJFAC – Tarmugli, Tillanchang, Tihayu – are named after Andaman and Nicobar group of islands, and are among the four such warships being built by GRSE.
GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral AK Verma (retd) said two of the three WJFACs will be delivered for commissioning in the last quarter of the year.
With a displacement of around 315 tonnes, the ships are designed for a maximum speed of 35 knots with an endurance of nearly 2,000 nautical miles at 12-14 knots.
Powered by the latest 4,000-series MTU engines with advanced machinery control system, the ships will be fitted with CRN-91 indigenous 30mm gun with optronic pedestal and have the latest communication equipment and radars to enable effective surveillance.
The WJFACs are ideally suited for interception of fast-moving surface craft and will perform anti-smuggling, fishery protection and search and rescue operations.
