Explained: How next-generation corvettes will help in modernising the Indian Navy

The Centre on Monday approved the acquisition of eight next generation corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy at a cost of Rs 36,000 crore. The nod by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by defence minister Rajnath Singh is part of a package to procure military equipment and platforms worth Rs 76,390 crore from domestic industries. “In pursuance of the government’s vision for digital transformation in defence, ‘Digital Coast Guard’ project under ‘Buy’ (Indian) category has been approved by the DAC,” the ministry said. “Under this project, a pan-India secure network for digitising of various surface and aviation operations, logistics, finance and HR processes in Coast Guard will be established,” it added. The NGCs would be constructed based on a new in-house design of the Indian Navy, using latest technology of ship building, the ministry said in a statement. But what are NGCs? And how will they boost the Indian Navy? Let’s take a closer look. What is a corvette? As per Britannica, a corvette is a small, fast naval vessel ranking in size below a frigate. What did they do historically? Though the Royal Navy started using small warships in the 1650s, the first reference to a corvette warship was in the 1670s with the French Navy, as per Marine Insight. The small warships with the English Navy were described as sloops then and the navy did not find a place for corvette warship in their fleet until the 1830s. In the 18th and 19th centuries, corvettes were three-masted ships with square rigging similar to that of frigates and ships of the line, but they carried only about 20 guns on the top deck. Frequently serving as dispatchers among ships of a battle fleet, corvettes also escorted merchantmen and showed a nation’s flag in distant parts of the world, as per Britannica. But modern corvettes are a very different breed. Generally displacing from 500 to 1,000 tons and armed with missiles, torpedoes, and machine guns, they perform antisubmarine, antiaircraft, and coastal-patrol duties in the world’s small navies, as per the website. As per Marine Insight, “In its slightness lies the most important feature of the corvette, serving as a preparatory vessel in crucial wartimes, especially as a stop-gap between the larger naval combat vessels.” What will they do? As per the defence ministry, the eight corvettes will perform a variety of roles including surveillance missions, escort operations, deterrence, Surface Action Group (SAG) operations, search and attack and coastal defence Why this matters This is the latest fillip to the Narendra Modi government’s Make in India push. As per Indian Express, this will be the first time that the warships will be designed entirely by the Navy’s Directorate of Naval Design and executed by an Indian shipyard through a competitive bid — meaning that the private industry will also be allowed to bid, unlike earlier when a shipyard was nominated. “The corvettes, which will be fully indigenous with all weapons, sensors and machinery developed in India, will be constructed based on the new in-house design of the Navy using the latest technology of ship building. They will contribute to further the government’s initiative of SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region),” an official told The Times of India. As per BusinessWorld, these futuristic corvettes are part of India’s blueprint to build a 175-ship Indian Navy. The Indian Navy’s warship acquisition has an overwhelming Make in India complexion – of the 41 ships and submarines currently on order for the Indian Navy, 39 are being built in Indian shipyards, as per the report. As per Business Standard, the Indian Navy has specified that the corvettes must have a range that exceeds 4,000 nautical miles and must be capable of sailing at 27 knots. The 120-meter-long, single-hull corvette must have low radar, acoustic, magnetic, visual, and infra-red signatures. It wants active towed array sonar and two light-weight torpedo launchers fitted to the corvettes. The new warships will eventually replace the Khukri and Kora class corvettes, as per Indian Express. How long will it take? If history is any judge, it might take a while. As Abhijit Singh and Manoj Joshi note in ORF online, even in ventures where deliveries have been completed, the Kamorta class anti-submarines corvettes built under Project 28 for example, delays have been interminable. “The delivery of the first three ships of the class – Kamorta (2014), Kadmatt (2015) and Kiltan (2017)—has ranged from 20 months (Kamorta) to 39 months (Kiltan),” the piece noted. What’s in a name? While car enthusiasts would be familiar with the iconic sports car of the same name, few would be aware that it was Chevrolet that got the name from the battleship. As per MarineInsight, it was former Chevrolet photographer Myron Scott who named the iconic car after this small warship. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.