Indian Navy Eyes 200-Ship Fleet by 2035, Commissions INS Anjadip for Coastal ASW
INS Anjadip commissioned; Navy plans 15 warships in 2026, emphasizing undersea and anti-submarine warfare.
The Indian Navy is accelerating its fleet expansion as undersea warfare takes a central role in its strategic planning, with plans to induct around 15 new warships in 2026—an unprecedented benchmark in the service’s history, according to Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi. The announcement came in Chennai on Friday, following the commissioning of INS Anjadip, a new shallow-water anti-submarine warfare (ASW) platform.
Admiral Tripathi highlighted that 2025 alone saw the commissioning of 12 warships and one submarine, signaling a sustained pace of force induction. “We are on course to become a 200-plus ship force by 2035,” he said, noting that all 50 vessels currently on order are being built in Indian shipyards. He emphasized that the Navy aims to achieve complete self-reliance—or aatmanirbharta—at the component level by 2047, while maintaining partnerships and interoperability to operate effectively in a contested maritime environment.
The commissioning of INS Anjadip underscores the Navy’s renewed focus on undersea and anti-submarine warfare, addressing a capability gap increasingly scrutinized amid growing strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. Anjadip is the fourth of 16 shallow-water ASW craft planned for induction and is designed primarily for operations along India’s eastern seaboard. Equipped with shallow-water sonars, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, and an indigenous combat management system, the vessel is tailored for coastal and littoral operations, where detecting submarines is particularly challenging.
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Admiral Tripathi described the shift as part of a broader effort to enhance maritime domain awareness and sea-denial capabilities close to shore, even as India’s larger surface combatants and submarines expand the Navy’s blue-water reach. The accelerated build-up comes amid what he described as a “complex and sensitive” maritime security environment, influenced by the spillover of continental tensions into vital sea lanes supporting global trade and energy flows.
Recent disruptions have highlighted these vulnerabilities. Attacks and counter-operations in the Red Sea forced shipping to reroute, driving freight rates on key Asia–Europe corridors up by 300–350%, while precautionary closures in the Strait of Hormuz triggered brief spikes in oil prices. Since October 2023, Indian naval deployments in the Red Sea have escorted nearly 400 merchant vessels carrying oil and cargo valued at over $7 billion, while continuing coordinated anti-piracy patrols alongside partner navies across the Indian Ocean Region.
INS Anjadip also reflects the Navy’s evolving industrial ecosystem, built through public–private collaboration led by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers in partnership with L&T Kattupalli, with its combat management system developed by Bharat Electronics Limited. The ship’s name carries historical resonance, recalling Anjadip Island off Goa, which witnessed decisive naval action during the 1961 operation that led to the territory’s liberation.
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