Enemies will be encouraged, Indian Navy will increase strength, Next Generation Destroyer fleet will be made under Project-18

Indian Navy will increase strength

The Indian Navy is ready to give new height to its marine strength. According to sources, the Ministry of Defense is going to get the acceptance of 4 Next Generation Destroyer soon. These ship will be prepared under Project-18 (P-18). In the first phase, 4 ships will be built, for a long time the Navy has been planning to achieve 10 such advanced warships. These ships will be of 10,000 to 13,000 tonnes and will increase India’s naval firepower.

The P-18 Destroor is considered to be the successor of the current Visakhapatnam-Class (Project 15B) of the Indian Navy. With the commission of INS Surat in January 2025, the four-class project-15 B series was completed. In such a situation, this will be the first time that there is no Destroor under construction with the Navy. P-18 will meet this deficiency and meet the need of the Navy amid growing geopolitical tensions in the Indian Ocean region (IOR).

Current situation and challenge

The Indian Navy currently has a total of 13 Destroars, including old Rajputs, Delhi, Kolkata and new Visakhapatnam-Class. Compared to this:

1. China has more than 50 Destroars.
2. Japan has 42 Destroars.
3. India has set a target of keeping more than 200 warships and submarines in the Navy by 2035, which will include dozens of Destroars, Frigat and submarines in the Navy fleet.
4. They plan to deploy more than 300 BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles by 2030.

Dream related to self -reliant India

The P-18 ship is being designed by the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB). This project is associated with the self -sufficient Bharat Mission. In July 2025, WDB introduced the concept of P-18 during the Nation Building Through shipbuilding seminar. On the same occasion, the celebration of handing over the 100th indigenous warship was also celebrated. This indicated a change in the direction of becoming the builders Navy from the Navy’s Navy of India’s Navy.

Design and capabilities: future jump

1. The P-18 ships will weigh 10,000-13,000 tonnes. This will make them the biggest superficial warship made in India so far. According to international standards, they can be counted in the cruiser category.
2. 144 VLS (vertical launch system) sales, which are more than China’s type 055 (112 VLS) and are equal to the Arleigh Burke-Class (96 VLS) of America. These will include BrahMos supersonic, hypersonic BrahMos-II, Long Range Land-Atac Cruise Missile (LR-LACM) and SUPERSONIC Missile Assisted Release of Torpedo.

8 additional launchers will be behind radar

Eight additional launchers behind the main radar will be placed for hypersonic BrahMos.

1. S-band AESA radar will be the main multi-mission sensor. Volume search radar and multi-sensor mast will get 360-degree coverage. These systems developed by BEL and DRDO can detect air, superficial and submarine hazards for more than 500 km.
2. The anti-ballistic missile (ABM) system will be included. It will have a PGLRSAM interceptor (250 km range) which will protect against dangers like China’s anti-ship ballistic missile.
3. Advanced electronic warfare suits, active/passive sonar and unmanned systems (UUVs, UAVs, Kamikaze drones) will be included. These will lead to monitoring, mines detection and anti-Sabarine war.
4. The design will have focus on stealth features and modular constructions. The goal is to prepare every ship in 4-5 years (the present time is 7-8 years). Indigenization level: Hul 90%, propulsion 60%, weapon 50%.

The P-18 Destroor will be the backbone of the Indian Navy in the coming decades and will replace the old Rajput-class (5,000 tonnes) and Delhi-Class (6,700 tonnes) ships.