Chennai, February 27
The Indian Navy aims to transform into a 200-plus ship maritime force by 2035 and plans to induct 15 additional vessels in 2026, Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said here on Friday.
Speaking after commissioning the INS Anjadip at the Chennai Port here, he said hte Navy’s long term vision is to achieve complete self-reliance in ship-building at component level and evolve into a fully Aatmanirbhar force by 2047.
“The operational footprint of the Navy extends across the Indian Ocean Region and beyond with Naval units persistently forward-deployed on surveillance, anti-piracy and coordinated patrols, reflecting sustained reach and credible operational depth,” he said.
Noting that the concept of Atmanirbharat has progressed from ‘Make in India’ to ‘Trust in India’, he said, “We have embraced Aatmanirbharat not only as a strategic imperative but also as an investment towards future assurance.”
Highlighting the ongoing shipbuilding efforts, Admiral Tripathi said all 50 ships presently on order are being built in Indian shipyards. “As we look to become 200 plus ship navy by 2035, our aim is to take Aatmanirbharat to component level and build a fully Atmanirbhar force by 2047,” he said.
The maritime force is adopting a clear approach towards building credible capability across the spectrum of operations, address evolving threat perceptions on both Western and Eastern seaboards, he said.
“Within this broader design, during the year 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned 12 warships and one submarine. This momentum continues with plans to induct about 15 more ships in 2026, setting an unprecedented benchmark and marking the highest rate of induction in our history,” he said.
Emphasising operational readiness, he said the Navy remains focused on sharpening critical warfighting capabilities particularly in Anti-Submarine and under-sea warfare.
On the commissioning of the Anjadip vessel, he said it is the fourth of the 16 Shallow Water antisubmarine warfare and strengthens the country’s under-sea warfare capability particularly ‘in the coastal and littoral’ waters of the Eastern region.
Anjadip is equipped with state-of-the-art shallow water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and combat management system, he said.
Quoting Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who has said that indigenisation in defence production strengthens national security, Tripathi said, “In that spirit, our pursuit of Aatmanirbharat has ensured that this ship (Anjadip) enters service with robust capability and operational effectiveness.”
It is noteworthy that the Anjadip ship has been built at Larsen and Toubro’s Kattuppalli shipyard in the South by a Team of Kolkata based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers which is in the East and the ship is equipped with combat management system designed at Ghaziabad in the North and named after Anjadip Island in the Western region, he said.
“It is indeed a true coming together of a maritime nation that is our India,” he said.
PTI
