Key Facts

The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has accorded in-principle approval, or Acceptance of Necessity, for the Navy's next-generation destroyers under Project 18A, estimated at around ₹80,000 crore. The ships are expected to have nearly 75% indigenous content and will be designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau, with both defence public sector units and private firms eligible to bid. Deliveries are expected five to ten years after the contract is signed. The programme responds to the expansion of China's naval presence in the Indian Ocean and the induction of advanced submarines by China and Pakistan. The Navy now operates about 12 or 13 guided-missile destroyers of the Delhi, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam classes, and several older ships are due for decommissioning.

GK Context

The Defence Acquisition Council is the highest decision-making body of the Ministry of Defence for capital acquisition proposals, and the Acceptance of Necessity is the first step in the procurement process. The Visakhapatnam-class (Project 15B) destroyers, including INS Visakhapatnam, Mormugao, Imphal and Surat, are stealth guided-missile destroyers built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and carry the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile. Indigenisation under Aatmanirbhar Bharat aims to cut dependence on imported weapons and sensors.