Project 28A : In News
The Ministry of Defence recently signed contracts worth ₹53,866.50 crore with two state-owned shipyards for eight Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) for the Navy under Project 28A.
- Project 28A is the Indian Navy’s Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs) programme.
- Under the contracts, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE), Kolkata, will construct five corvettes, while Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) will construct the remaining three.
- It is the first project in which the ships will be indigenously designed by the Indian Navy and constructed by Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) selected through a competitive process.
- A corvette in the Indian Navy is a small, fast, and heavily armed warship ranked just below a frigate in size.
- NGCs are designed for multi-role operations, including offensive Ship-to-Ship or Ship-to-Surface Missile Attacks, Anti-Missile Defences, Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations, Escort Duties, Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO) including Visit Board Search and Seizure, and Local Naval Defence.
- The Indian Navy currently operates 18 to 24 corvettes in active service.
- The platforms will have a highly sophisticated propulsion architecture of a Combined Diesel and Gas turbine with a Cross-Connect gearbox (CODAG-CC), driving two Controllable Pitch Propellers (CPP).
- Their maximum speed will be 26 knots.
- The warships will be fitted with advanced weapons and navigation suites.
- The proposed systems include Medium Range Anti-Ship Missiles, Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (MRSAM) and torpedo tubes.
- The armament suite will also include an OTO Melara 76 mm Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) with the latest upgrade, an AK-630 Close-In Weapon System (CIWS) and 12.7 mm Stabilised Remote-Controlled Guns (SRCGs) integrated with an Electro-Optic-based Fire Control System (EOFCS).
- The sensor suite will include an Electro-Optical Infrared Search and Track (EOIRST) system and a Multi-Function Surveillance, Track, and Guidance Radar (MFSTAR).
- The NGCs will also carry helicopters.
