The Indian Government has approved a contract signing with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the procurement of three Cadet Training Ships for the Indian Navy.
The deal was confirmed by the Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD).
Approved under the Buy Indian Designed, Developed and Manufactured category, the new contract has an estimated value of approximately $376.06m (Rs31.08bn).
The new platforms are being procured to train the Indian Navy’s men and women officer cadets at the sea, once they complete their basic training.
The MoD informed that the new vessels can also be deployed for other missions, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and casualty evacuation.
Apart from meeting the Indian Navy’s future requirements to train cadets, the new ships will also deliver training for the cadets from other partner nations to further bolster the country’s existing diplomatic relations.
Delivery of the three vessels is expected to start from 2026.
All the work associated with the design, development and construction of the vessels will be performed indigenously by L&T at their shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai.
According to MoD, the work will support more than two million man-days during the next four and a half years, allowing the engagement of various industry partners and micro, small & medium enterprises from India.
Majority of the equipment, components and subsystems used in the construction of the three training ships will be sourced from Indian manufacturers.
This will further give a boost to the Indian government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and ‘Make in India’ initiatives.
In a tweet, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “These ships will cater for training of officer cadets, including lady cadets, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirement of the Indian Navy. I’m grateful to Pradhanmantriji for this decision.”
