In January 2025, India’s navy marked a watershed moment with the triple commissioning of three frontline combatants – INS Nilgiri (the lead Project 17A stealth frigate), INS Surat (final Project 15B destroyer), and INS Vagsheer (sixth Scorpene-class submarine) – in a single ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the occasion as “a very big day for India’s maritime heritage”, noting that it sealed 33 new ships and seven submarines in the past decade, almost all built indigenously.
A PMO statement called it “a significant leap in realising India’s vision of becoming a global leader in defence manufacturing and maritime security”. The stealth frigate INS Nilgiri (pictured) is the first of seven Project 17A ships, sporting an all-Indian sensor and weapon suite (BrahMos anti-ship missiles, Barak-8 air-defence missiles, upgraded 76mm gun, etc.) and advanced stealth features. Both Nilgiri and Surat were designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and boast ~75% indigenous content and multiple helipad hangars (for Chetak/ALH, Sea King, or MH-60R choppers) for day/night helicopter operations.
This triple-induction capped a year in which 54 ships were under construction in India (valued at ~₹99,500 crore) and the Defence Ministry had approved (AoN) the next tranche of 74 warships (≈₹2.35 lakh crore) spanning submarines, frigates, destroyers, and support vessels. In short, India is moving rapidly from being a naval buyer to a builder – as the Chief of Naval Staff noted in 2020 – with virtually all new hulls now of domestic origin.
Modernization Drive: Vision 2025 and Beyond
The Navy’s Technology Perspective & Capability Roadmap 2025, issued in September 2025, underscores these ambitions: it envisages a “blue-water” fleet growing to some 150–160 warships by 2030 (and 200+ by 2035). In practice, the navy already has ~140 ships (including 17 diesel submarines and 2 SSBNs) and 250+ aircraft. Of these, 55 warships were under construction as of mid-2025 (₹99,500 cr cost).
Crucially, government approval has been granted for 74 additional vessels (Rs 2.35 lakh cr), including nine new diesel-electric submarines, seven stealth frigates, eight anti-submarine corvettes, and a dozen mine-countermeasure ships. Several giant programs await final sanction – e.g., four 10,000-tonne next-generation destroyers and a new aircraft carrier (INS Vishal). Under this plan, India could reach up to 230 combatants by the late 2030s.
These ambitious force levels are driven by China’s growing naval footprint in the Indian Ocean. Beijing now fields the world’s largest submarine fleet (∼60 boats including six Jin-class SSBNs, six Shang-class SSNs, and dozens of advanced diesel subs) and a string of bases from Djibouti to Gwadar. New Chinese naval ties with Pakistan (eight Chinese-built Hangor-class subs with AIP coming onstream) and infrastructure push (Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc.) have further spurred India’s build-up. As one senior Indian officer told the Times of India, “apart from the P5, India is the only nation that can design, build and operate aircraft carriers and SSBNs” – a capability now seen as essential given Chinese expansion.
Alongside hardware, the Navy is pursuing new technologies. INS Surat, for example, has been touted as the navy’s first “AI-enabled” warship, with indigenous artificial intelligence tools to improve decision-making on board. The fleet is also inducting MH-60R anti-submarine helicopters and MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones, further extending its reach.
In April 2025, New Delhi signed a ₹19,000 crore contract to buy 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for its carriers (Vikrant and Vikramaditya). Meanwhile, efforts are underway to indigenize critical systems: for instance, DRDO and BEL have developed the bulky OTO Melara 76mm gun with guided ammo (SRGM) fitted on Nilgiri, as well as the new DRDO heavy torpedoes and future air-independent propulsion (AIP) modules for subs.
Diesel and Nuclear: Subsurface Forces on the Move
India’s nuclear submarine program is a key strategic priority. The navy already operates two SSBNs – INS Arihant (commissioned 2016) and INS Arighat (commissioned August 2024) – which form the sea-based leg of India’s nuclear triad. Arighat, with ~70% indigenous design, can carry up to twelve short-range K-15 “Sagarika” missiles or four long-range (3,500 km) K-4 SLBMs. In a major boost, INS Aridhaman, the third Arihant-class sub, is expected to enter service in 2025. Heavier (∼7,000 tons) than its sisters, Aridhaman will carry more K-4 missiles, further strengthening India’s assured second-strike capability.
A fourth SSBN is already under construction as part of the ₹90,000 crore Advanced Technology Vessel project; this is slated to be a much larger boat (∼13,500 tons) with a new 190 MW reactor. Beyond SSBNs, in October 2024, the Cabinet approved the indigenous construction of the first two nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) (~9,800 tons each, ₹40,000 cr), aiming to deliver those by the mid-2030s. All of these nuclear initiatives tie into India’s plan for Project Varsha – a high-security underground naval base at Rambilli (Visakhapatnam coast) designed to hide and deploy SSBNs covertly in the Bay of Bengal. According to press reports, Varsha’s first phase will be commissioned by 2026, giving India a protected eastern flank for its nuclear deterrent.
Indo-Pacific Presence and Power Projection
The 2025 build-up is part of a broader shift in India’s maritime strategy. In the Indo-Pacific era, New Delhi has shed old reticence and taken a far more proactive naval posture. As an RSIS analysis notes, during the 2020 India–China border standoff the Indian Navy “stepped up deployments of its warships and submarines” around the Strait of Malacca and routinely exercised with the US and Japanese fleets. India has since deepened naval engagement with littoral countries (Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.), provided disaster relief aid across the region, and participated in multilateral exercises like MALABAR (with US, Japan, Australia) and MILAN (with IORA nations). For example, in October 2025 Konkan-25, a bilateral exercise with the UK, featured India’s INS Vikrant carrier operating alongside Britain’s HMS Prince of Wales – the first combined carrier operations ever for the two navies. Such deployments demonstrate interoperability with leading powers and signal India’s willingness to project power beyond its immediate shores.
The Navy’s own war games have also grown in scale. The capstone TROPEX-2025 exercise (Jan–Mar 2025) spanned the entire Indian Ocean, from the Arabian Sea to the Sunda Straits. Approximately 65–70 ships, 9–10 submarines, and 80+ aircraft (including MiGs, P-8Is, transport planes, and AWACS planes) participated, along with the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard, in coordinated scenarios. Prime assets, such as the carrier INS Vikrant, the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers and the older Kolkata-class, and the Kalvari-class submarines, featured prominently.
According to the Navy’s press release, TROPEX “reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to remain a combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-ready force”. These exercises not only validate India’s new assets and doctrines (including amphibious operations and networked warfare), but also send a clear message: India will defend maritime rules and sea lanes as a net security provider.
Deterrence and Diplomacy: Countering Regional Threats
India’s naval surge carries important geopolitical weight. In a region described by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as “a centre of international power rivalry,” the navy underwrites India’s deterrence and diplomatic posture. A robust blue-water fleet and sea-based deterrent constrains adversaries – for example, China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean and Pakistan’s growing submarine fleet. The recent induction of new BrahMos cruise missiles and anti-submarine corvettes, expansion of drone surveillance, and upgrades of bases in the Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep islands all bolster India’s maritime denial strategy against a possible “string of pearls” encirclement.
At the same time, India’s naval diplomacy cements partnerships: working-level cooperation with Quad navies (US, Japan, Australia) in Malabar and other drills; joint patrols with France in the South China Sea; and technical cooperation (e.g. an India–UK pact to co-develop naval electric propulsion signed in Oct 2025). These ties help India amplify its influence and reassure smaller Indian Ocean states of a balance against any single-power dominance.
Looking ahead, the Navy’s roadmap remains bold. Plans call for a third carrier (nuclear-powered INS Vishal, by 2035), a sixth (Kidd-class) destroyer to follow the four Kolkata/15B ships, and continued expansion of missile and ASW forces. Under the “Aatmanirbhar” (self-reliance) banner, more systems (sonars, radars, missiles) are being indigenized.
By mid-decade, with roughly 155–160 hulls in inventory and an accelerating build rate, India’s blue-water navy will far outstrip all its regional rivals, reinforcing New Delhi’s bid for a leading security role in the Indo-Pacific. The triple-commissioning of 2025 – and the nuclear submarine advances behind it – are emblematic of this Blue Horizon ascent: an Indian Navy rapidly maturing into a globally capable, strategically confident maritime force.
Article by Shaloo