There is remarkable activity in India in enhancing naval resources. It includes platforms that are cutting-edge, such as INS Surat, Nilgiri, and Vagsheer. The prominence of these state-of-the-art assets is not the only focus. The objective of making the country self-reliant in defense production and modernizing the maritime forces ties India to it.
During all this time, INS Surat has been part of the guided-missile destroyer Visakhapatnam-class (P15B) that totally forming a new generation of naval warfare as it underwent sea trials. It enjoys a design with advanced stealth technologies and reduced radar cross-section, as well as being an entity with almost no flutter throughout the flight characteristics inherited during the design and manufacturing of the weapon system. Missiles for SAM and SSM will be rolled out after INS Surat has reached the sea trials. Well-designed and highly capable, this class asset carries the condition of expanding blue-water operational capabilities, ultimately resulting in the security and gripping power of Indian waters in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
On the other hand, the first ship of the Nilgiri-class stealth frigates Project 17A, INS Nilgiri reflects the national growth of indigenous shipbuilding skills. Its flexibility has further stealth features and the most advanced radar systems that are very specific. With its armaments—namely, Barak surface-to-air missiles and supersonic cruise missile BrahMos and a fire control radar FCR—it is suitable for an escort formation for convoys of larger ships and enforced routes and a suitable alternative for wannabe blue-water-naval-operation patrol craft. India is one of the rising major military powers looking to establish a solid, self-reliant maritime policy, capable of matching and protecting national assets in increasingly contested waters.
To the Navy’s undersea warfare arsenal add INS Vagsheer. This submarine should then mark the completion of the Scorpene-class project, denoted by the Project 75 tag. The submarine is your classic diesel-electric submarine, with an advanced stealth design, air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, and armament consisting of torpedoes and missiles that can shoot at ships. The structure has been planned in this stealth mode for covert surveillance, gathering intelligence, as well as antisubmarine warfare, thus necessitating what would be a strong presence under the water from the side of the Indian navy. Apart from that, the Navy will have its deterrence prospects reinforced even numerous folds in inducting this submarine into the fleet, thereby showing its resolve to protect the country before emerging threats from those maritime borders.
These are very large steps for India as it modernizes its navy. These capable specimens reflect India’s movement towards more self-reliance in defense manufacturing. All machines have a large contribution from indigenous builders, be they Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) or other manufacturers. This results in advanced capabilities rooting India on regional and global maritime challenges, thereby heightening its profile as a net security provider in the Indo-Pacific. However, incorporating an INS Surat, INS Nilgiri, and INS Vagsheer had yet to be initiated by the Indian Navy in such a move, which would further consolidate its status as a modern, blue-water force capable of exercising power and maintaining stability across the Indian Ocean and beyond.
