Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of The Indian Navy Is Expected To Add 20–25 New Warships By 2037
Eastern Naval Command (ENC) Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar has said that a total of 37 projects costing over ₹2,192 crore are under way at Visakhapatnam, which will enhance the capabilities of the naval base here.
The new warships will include:
FrigatesCorvettesDiving support vesselsSurvey vesselsAnti-submarine warfare shallow watercraftsNuclear submarinesHelicoptersAircraft
The ENC has also opened a new naval air base, INS Baaz, at the southernmost tip of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. As of November 2023, the Indian Navy has 67 vessels under construction, including: Destroyers, Frigates, Corvettes.
In the near future, the force levels at the ENC are also going to be enhanced with INS Mumbai joining the Eastern Fleet in a few days, all the Delhi class destroyers – Delhi, Mysore and Mumbai – will henceforth be based at Visakhapatnam. The ENC is likely to induct 20 - 25 new warships by 2037, he added.
These include the Nilgiri class frigates, Next Generation Corvettes, Diving Support Vessels, Survey Vessels, Anti Submarine Warfare shallow watercraft, Nuclear submarines, multi-role MH 60R Helicopters, upgraded anti-submarine Kamov 28 Helicopters, and Medium lift C-295 aircraft. Of these, the first of the Survey Vessels, Sandhayak, is likely to be commissioned early next year. The diving support vessels for the Indian Navy are being built by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited at Visakhapatnam. The shipyard has also been contracted to build five Fleet Support Ships, which is a major project that will enhance Indian Navy’s blue-water capabilities, he added.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Vice Admiral Pendharkar said that the one of the major projects is the enhancement of flight safety in accordance with internationally mandated regulations. In accordance with safety norms for runways, the resurfacing of Visakhapatnam airport runway was in progress. Further, the upgradation of air field lighting system has now enabled low visibility flight operations at INS Dega, and the resurfacing of the runway at Dega would be completed by March next year. The work is being done in phases to ensure minimal disruption to civil flying, he added.
