ROBIN ROY
With the commissioning of three indigenously built frontline platforms — Dunagiri, Sanshodhak and Agray — in Kolkata on Sunday, the nation has achieved anoth er step towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence production and bolstering the strength of the Navy. It must be noted that, designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and constructed by the time-tested Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolk ata, these vessels represent key operational capabilities across maritime combat, hydrographic surveying and anti-submarine warfare. Together, they reflect the Na vy’s balanced approach to ca pability development, strength ening operations, enhancing maritime domain awareness and securing coastal waters against evolving threats.
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The induction of the three in digenously built naval platforms in Kolkata will be a major ga mechanger for India’s maritime capabilities, as these State-of-the art vessels will bring highly spe cialised, localised combat and sur veillance technologies with more than 75% indigenous content. • INS Dunagiri (Project 17A Stealth Frigate): A formidable frontline combatant equipped with BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and medium-range sur face-to-air missiles. Its stealth features allow it to evade enemy radar, granting the Navy massive offensive and air-defence capa bilities in blue-water operations. • INS Sanshodhak (Survey Vessel Large): A high-tech hy drographic and oceanographic survey ship equipped with Au tonomous Underwater Vehicles and remote-operated vehicles. It transforms India’s maritime do main awareness by mapping the seabed and charting deep-water routes, which is critical for future submarine and anti-submarine warfare. • INS Agray (Anti-Subma rine Warfare Shallow Water Craft): Tailored specifically for littoral and coastal waters, this “submarine hunter” is equipped with lightweight torpedoes and advanced sonars to actively de tect and neutralise underwater threats in highly contested or shallow coastal areas. Beyond strategic advantag es, the commissioning of these “triplets” underscores the op erational efficiency of India’s domestic defence sector.
Involving over 200 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), the construction of these vessels solidifies India’s self-reliance in warship construction under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat Initiative. Naval experts increasingly view hydrographic intelligence as a strategic capability. Detailed knowledge of underwater terrain and oceanographic conditions can influence everything from submarine deployments to an ti-submarine warfare operations, making survey vessels an impor tant component of modern naval power. While Dunagiri brings long range strike capability through BrahMos missiles, Agray strengthens the country’s ability to counter underwater threats, and Sanshodhak enhances mari time domain awareness with ad vanced data collection systems. The commissioning also comes at a time when the Indian Ocean is witnessing growing strategic competition. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy is taking a major step to boost its maritime strike capabilities by making the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile a standard weapon across all warships.
This strategic move was con firmed by Alexander Maksichev, Joint Managing Director of BrahMos Aerospace, during the Flot-2026 International Naval Exhibition in Russia. He emphasised that the inte gration of these powerful mis siles is an ongoing and dynamic process. Maksichev noted that the In dian Navy has extensively test ed the weapon system and that research and development have never paused. “All modern Indian Navy ships, the frontline vessels, are equipped with and will continue to be equipped with BrahMos missiles,” he said, highlighting the relentless drive to upgrade India’s combat readiness at sea. All About BrahMos Born from a highly successful joint venture between India’s De fence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Rus sia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, the BrahMos is globally recognised as one of the fastest and most le thal cruise missiles in existence. Operating at speeds between Mach 2.8 and Mach 3, its ad vanced ramjet engine allows it to be launched from land, sea, un derwater and the air, providing the Indian armed forces with un matched tactical flexibility. The missile’s proven reliability and precision recently led to In dia’s historic first major defence export, with the Philippines ac quiring the shore-based anti-ship variant.
Meanwhile, upcoming next-generation vessels—such as the Project 15B Visakhapa tnam-class destroyers and the Project 17A Nilgiri-class stealth frigates—will carry BrahMos systems as their primary offen sive armament. It may be noted that in 2024, the Government of India ap proved a monumental deal worth more than Rs 19,500 crore to pro cure over 200 BrahMos Extended Range (ER) missiles, followed by further strategic investments in advanced shipborne fire-control and launch systems. The Navy has repeatedly prov en the missile’s devastating accu racy against both land-based tar gets during rigorous operational drills.
Current upgrades are pushing its strike range well beyond 800 kilometres, alongside the devel opment of highly advanced seek ers for better target acquisition. Also, the defence sector is ea gerly anticipating the maiden autonomous test of the BrahMos NG (Next Generation) in 2026—a lighter, stealthier variant de signed to be equipped on a wider array of platforms, including the indigenous LCA Tejas and the fu ture Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Key Strategic Goals • The “First Responder” Role: Indigenisation gives India stra tegic and operational autonomy, allowing the Navy to act as the primary security provider in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). • R&D and Innovation: Through platforms like the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO) and the IN STEP internship programme, the Navy is partnering directly with domestic startups, MSMEs and academia to in tegrate advanced cyber, AI and hardware solutions. ATMA NIRBHAR BHARAT: KEY TAKEAWAYS • The government has stepped up efforts to implement the In dian Naval Indigenisation Plan (INIP) 2015–2030. • Nation-building through shipbuilding: 51 large ships are under construction in the coun try, valued at approximately Rs 90,000 crore. • The 100th and 101st indige nous warships, INS Udaygiri and INS Himgiri, were commissioned in August, advancing the Navy’s Atma Nirbhar Vision 2047. • Since 2014, Indian shipyards have delivered over 40 indige nous warships and submarines to the Navy, with a new vessel be ing inducted on average every 40 days in the last one year. • Nearly 67% of the Navy’s capital acquisitions have been with Indian industry in the last 10 years. • The Navy’s budget grew from Rs 49,623 crore in 2020–21 to Rs 1,03,548 crore in 2025–26, rais ing its share of defence spending from 15% to 21%. (Robin Roy is a Senior Jour nalist and former Senior Asso ciate Editor, O Heraldo, Goa)
