NEW DELHI — In a decisive shift toward self-reliance, India’s naval modernization under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accelerated the commissioning of domestically built warships, submarines, and aircraft carriers, positioning the country as a rising maritime power in the Indo-Pacific. The Indian Navy’s fleet now includes 132 vessels, with 41 more under construction—nearly all in Indian shipyards—a transformation that officials describe as critical to countering China’s expanding naval footprint in the Indian Ocean. Yet, while the government celebrates these milestones as proof of India’s defense industrial prowess, critics and independent audits highlight persistent gaps in high-end technology, bureaucratic delays, and unresolved inter-service rivalries that could undermine long-term strategic goals.
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What Happened: A Surge in Indigenous Naval Production
The past two years have marked a turning point in India’s naval capabilities. In September 2025, the Indian Navy commissioned the INS Imphal, a stealth-guided missile destroyer and the third vessel in the Visakhapatnam-class, built by Mumbai’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The ship, equipped with advanced BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and indigenous radar systems, represents the culmination of India’s Project 15B, a program aimed at producing world-class destroyers with over 75% local content.
More significantly, the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously designed and constructed aircraft carrier, was commissioned in August 2024 after a 13-year development cycle. The 45,000-tonne carrier, built at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), can operate 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighters and indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas naval variants. Its deployment has been framed by the government as a “game-changer” for India’s blue-water ambitions, enabling sustained power projection beyond the Indian Ocean.
These developments align with the Modi administration’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative, which has prioritized domestic defense production. Official data from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) shows that 72% of defense procurement contracts in the fiscal year 2025-26 were awarded to Indian vendors, up from 54% in 2020-21. The Navy’s 15-year expansion plan, approved in 2023, envisions a fleet of 175 warships by 2035, with a focus on submarines, corvettes, and next-generation destroyers.
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Why It Matters: Geopolitical Stakes in the Indo-Pacific
India’s naval buildup is not merely a technological achievement—it is a strategic recalibration in response to China’s growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean. Beijing’s String of Pearls strategy—marked by the development of ports in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Djibouti—has heightened New Delhi’s concerns about encirclement. The Indian Navy’s Maritime Security Strategy (2024) explicitly identifies China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) as a “persistent challenge,” noting its increasing deployments in the region, including submarine patrols and surveillance missions near India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
To counter this, India has expanded its operational footprint, conducting joint exercises with Quad partners (the U.S., Japan, and Australia) and increasing patrols in critical chokepoints like the Strait of Malacca and the Gulf of Aden. In 2025, the Navy conducted Exercise Malabar—a high-profile naval drill involving all Quad members—off the coast of Visakhapatnam, showcasing interoperability in anti-submarine warfare and carrier operations.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has repeatedly emphasized that India’s maritime strategy is not just about deterrence but also about “securing a rules-based order” in the Indo-Pacific. The government’s 2026 Defence White Paper states that India aims to transition from a “net security consumer” to a “net security provider” in the region, a role traditionally dominated by the U.S. and its allies.
However, this ambition faces three critical challenges:
1. Technological Dependence on Foreign Partners – While major platforms like the Vikrant and Imphal are domestically built, key subsystems remain reliant on foreign collaborations. The Vikrant’s GE LM2500 gas turbines (for propulsion) and Israeli EL/M-2248 MF-STAR radar are imported, as are the BrahMos missiles (a joint venture with Russia). A 2025 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) noted that India still imports 60% of its defense electronics, raising questions about true self-reliance.
2. Bureaucratic and Industrial Bottlenecks – The Project 75(I) program, which aims to build six next-generation submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) technology, has faced repeated delays. The CAG report cited “procedural inefficiencies” in the MoD’s procurement process, including multiple rounds of technical evaluations that have pushed the project’s timeline beyond 2030. Similar delays have plagued the Indigenous Aircraft Carrier-2 (IAC-2), which was initially slated for commissioning by 2030 but now faces an uncertain future due to funding constraints.
3. Inter-Service Rivalries – The proposed maritime theater command, which would integrate naval, air, and coastal defense assets under a single operational structure, has been stalled by turf wars. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has resisted the Navy’s push for greater control over maritime air assets, arguing that it would dilute the IAF’s role in joint operations. A 2026 parliamentary committee report warned that “lack of consensus among services risks undermining India’s theaterization efforts.”
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Background and Context: From Import Dependence to Indigenous Ambition
India’s naval modernization has evolved in three distinct phases:
1. The Soviet Era (1960s-1990s) – India’s early naval expansion relied heavily on Soviet imports, including the INS Vikramaditya (a refurbished Admiral Gorshkov* aircraft carrier) and Kilo-class submarines. While these acquisitions provided immediate capabilities, they left India vulnerable to supply chain disruptions and technological obsolescence.
2. The Post-Cold War Diversification (2000s-2010s) – After the Soviet collapse, India turned to Western and Israeli suppliers, acquiring P-8I Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (U.S.), Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles (Israel), and Scorpène-class submarines (France). However, licensing restrictions and high costs limited India’s ability to upgrade or replicate these systems domestically.
3. The Modi Era (2014-Present): The Indigenous Push – The Make in India initiative, launched in 2014, sought to reduce import dependence by incentivizing domestic production. Key milestones include:
– 2017: Launch of the INS Kolkata, the first Project 15A* destroyer with 72% indigenous content.
– 2020: Commissioning of the INS Kavaratti, the fourth Kamorta*-class anti-submarine corvette, built entirely in India.
– 2022: Successful test-firing of the BrahMos-NG, a next-generation supersonic cruise missile with 90% local components.
– 2024: Operationalization of the INS Vikrant*, making India one of only five nations (alongside the U.S., China, Russia, and the U.K.) capable of building aircraft carriers.
Despite these achievements, defense analysts warn that India’s indigenous ecosystem remains fragmented. A 2025 study by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) found that 80% of India’s defense MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) lack the capacity to produce high-end components, forcing larger shipyards like MDL and CSL to rely on foreign original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for critical systems.
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Competing Claims and Uncertainty: Self-Reliance vs. Reality
The Modi government’s narrative of “indigenous naval supremacy” has been met with skepticism from defense experts and opposition parties, who argue that the rhetoric outpaces reality.
# Government’s Position: A Strategic Success Story
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (June 2026): “India is no longer a nation that begs for technology—we are now a nation that builds it. The Vikrant and Imphal are not just ships; they are symbols of our resolve to secure our maritime borders without foreign dependence.”
– Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi (May 2026): “Our indigenous programs have reduced procurement timelines by 30% and saved the exchequer over ₹50,000 crore ($6 billion) in foreign exchange.”
– MoD Spokesperson (July 2026): “The 72% indigenization rate in defense procurement is a historic achievement. We are on track to achieve 90% by 2030.”
# Critics’ Counterarguments: Gaps in the Armor
1. Overstated Indigenous Content
– A 2026 report by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) found that many “indigenous” platforms still rely on foreign core technologies. For example:
– The Vikrant’s gas turbines are U.S.-made (GE LM2500).
– The Visakhapatnam-class destroyers use Israeli radar systems.
– The Scorpène submarines (built under Project 75) are French-designed, with only 30% local content.
– Retired Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha (former Western Naval Command chief) told Herald Express: “Calling these ships ‘indigenous’ is misleading. We are assembling foreign components, not designing them. True self-reliance requires mastery over propulsion, sensors, and weapons—areas where we still lag.”
2. Delays and Cost Overruns
– The CAG’s 2025 audit revealed that 12 of 15 major naval projects were delayed by 2-5 years, with cost escalations of 20-40%.
– Project 75(I)—India’s $6.5 billion submarine program—has been stuck in procurement limbo since 2019 due to disputes over technology transfer clauses with foreign bidders (France’s Naval Group, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp, and Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau).
– The IAC-2 (India’s second indigenous carrier) has been deferred indefinitely due to budget constraints, raising doubts about India’s ability to maintain a two-carrier fleet.
3. Inter-Service Disputes
– The maritime theater command, announced in 2023, was supposed to be operational by 2025 but remains delayed due to IAF resistance. The Air Force argues that control over maritime air assets (like P-8I patrol aircraft) should remain with the IAF, not the Navy.
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