India is steadily advancing towards building a stronger, networked blue-water Navy with the ambitious target of operating more than 200 warships and submarines by 2035 to safeguard its extensive maritime interests.
India’s Naval Expansion Goals for 2035
With the maritime domain becoming increasingly critical in India’s strategic planning amid global geopolitical shifts, the Indian Navy currently has 55 warships of varying sizes under construction across domestic shipyards at a cumulative cost of approximately ₹99,500 crore.
Key Future Naval Projects
Additionally, the Navy has secured initial approvals, or ‘acceptance of necessity’ (AoN), for the indigenous construction of another 74 warships and support vessels worth around INR 2.35 lakh crore, covering major projects such as nine diesel-electric submarines, seven next-generation multi-role stealth frigates, eight advanced anti-submarine warfare corvettes, and 12 mine countermeasure vessels. Future projects under consideration include four next-generation 10,000-tonne destroyers and the indigenous development of a second aircraft carrier after the 40,000-tonne INS Vikrant, which would eventually replace the aging Russian-origin INS Vikramaditya.
India, apart from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council — the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK — is the only country with the proven ability to design, build, and operate both aircraft carriers and SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines armed with ballistic missiles). According to naval officials, shipbuilding investments provide significant economic benefits, with each rupee spent generating a 1.8x multiplier effect across the domestic economy and creating multiple ancillary jobs.
The Growing Challenge from China
At present, the Indian Navy fields 140 warships, including 17 diesel-electric submarines — 11 of which are aging — two SSBNs, and a fleet of over 250 aircraft and helicopters. However, challenges remain acute as China continues to expand its dominance, now maintaining the world’s largest Navy with over 370 warships and submarines while aggressively increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean Region with bases and turnaround facilities in Djibouti, Karachi, Gwadar, and Cambodia’s Ream port.
India’s shrinking conventional submarine fleet remains a pressing concern, though commercial negotiations are underway to construct six advanced diesel-electric submarines, equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems and land-attack cruise missiles, worth more than ₹70,000 crore at Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) in collaboration with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS).
India’s Maritime Future
The parallel project to manufacture three additional French-origin Scorpene-class submarines at MDL, valued at over INR 32,000 crore, has stalled for now, leaving the Navy with just six operational Scorpenes, alongside seven aging Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW submarines.
With China rapidly boosting its naval power, India is focusing on accelerating indigenous shipbuilding programs to ensure maritime superiority and strengthen its deterrence capabilities in the Indian Ocean region.
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