The Indian government has taken a significant step towards strengthening the Indian Navy’s future surface combat capabilities, with the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, granting in-principle approval for the long-awaited Project-18A program, Times of India reported.

The initiative falls under the naval platforms category and is expected to deliver a new generation of stealth-guided missile destroyers that will become key frontline assets in the decades ahead.

Designed by the Warship Design Bureau, the future destroyers are planned to be larger, heavier and considerably more capable than the Navy’s existing destroyer fleet. With a displacement exceeding 10,000 tons, the vessels will be substantially bigger than the current Visakhapatnam-class destroyers, which displace around 7,400 tons.

According to sources, the next-generation warships will feature significantly greater firepower, enhanced sensor suites, advanced technologies and improved combat systems. “The futuristic destroyers will have displacement upwards of 10,000 tons, making them significantly larger than the Visakhapatnam-class destroyers (7,400 tons),” a source said. “These warships will have more firepower, more sensors, advanced technologies and systems,” the source added.

The ambitious program is expected to cost more than ₹75,000 crore. Following approval, a competitive bidding process is likely to be initiated for construction of the destroyers. Deliveries are expected to commence between five and ten years after contracts are awarded, highlighting the long-term strategic nature of the project.

The Indian Navy currently operates approximately 12 to 13 relatively modern guided-missile destroyers, which form the backbone of its surface combat fleet. These vessels provide multi-domain operational capabilities, including air defence, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare.

The active destroyer fleet includes four Visakhapatnam-class vessels - INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao, INS Imphal and INS Surat - built under Project-15B. The Navy also operates three Kolkata-class destroyers, INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Chennai, under Project-15A, alongside the three Delhi-class destroyers INS Delhi, INS Mysore and INS Mumbai. The ageing Soviet-origin Rajput-class destroyers are gradually being retired from service.

Current Indian Navy destroyers are heavily armed, each typically carrying around 16 BrahMos cruise missiles, 32 medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missiles housed in vertical launch systems, a 76 mm OTO-Melara naval gun, four AK-630 30 mm Gatling guns for close-in defence, twin 21-inch torpedo tubes for heavyweight torpedoes and two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers.

The forthcoming Project-18A destroyers are expected to field substantially more advanced and lethal weapon systems.

The programme also aligns closely with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. The Defence Ministry stated that 82% of the defence proposals cleared by the DAC are reserved for the domestic defence industry, indicating that the future destroyers will likely incorporate a significantly higher level of indigenous content. This approach is intended to strengthen domestic shipbuilding capabilities, promote advanced defence manufacturing and reduce reliance on foreign imports.

Project-18A represents one of the most ambitious warship development efforts undertaken by India and is expected to play a crucial role in enhancing the Navy’s ability to operate across the Indian Ocean Region while addressing emerging maritime security challenges.

Agencies