Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel
The Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel are a series of eleven offshore patrol vessels planned to be built by Goa Shipyard and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers for the Indian Navy. The deal was signed on 30 March 2023 with the delivery of the ships scheduled to commence from September 2026. The primary role of the vessels to maintain the Indian Navy's combat capability and meet various operational requirements such as anti piracy, counter-infiltration, anti poaching, anti trafficking, non combatant evacuation operations, Search and Rescue, protection of offshore assets and mine warfare.
History
The Next-Generation Offshore Patrol Vessel project is a follow on of which was eventually cancelled due to an inordinate delay of more than 10 years. Initially, the Indian Navy signed a contract for five offshore patrol vessel to be built by the erstwhile Pipavav Shipyard now ''. Numerous delays in the project, initially due to change of design partner and subsequently due to financial issues led to the cancellation of the project in October 2020.Indian Navy re-released a new RFI in 2017 for six ships which was later cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council in 2018 for a price of. Later on, the number of ships to be built was increased to eleven to compensate for the time lost due to the cancelled project.
The project was subjected to competitive bidding and shipyards across the country participated. Amongst the public sector participants were Cochin Shipyard, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Goa Shipyard, Hindustan Shipyard and Mazagon Dock while Larsen & Toubro was the sole private bidder. Goa Shipyard was declared the lowest bidder while Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers was the second lowest L2. Contract was subsequently signed with both the shipyards.
Construction
The deal for the construction of 11 ships was signed on 30 March 2023 by Ministry of Defence with Goa Shipyard and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers for a total value of. Of the 11 ships, seven will be designed, developed and manufactured by GSL and four by GRSE. The delivery of the ships is scheduled to commence from September 2026. The order value share for the Goa Shipyard is while that of Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers is.The first ship is expected to be delivered within 44 months from the date of signing the contract with the final delivery to be complete within seven and half years.
On the same date, MoD also ordered 13 units of BEL Lynx-U2 Fire Control Radar worth for the NGOPV programme.
On 24 February and 27 March 2024, GRSE and GSL began the construction of the first two of their respective NGOPVs with the steel cutting ceremony.
On 8 February 2025, MoD placed an order for 28 BEL EON-51 FCS, worth, to complement AK-630s onboard 11 NGOPVs and 3 Cadet Training Ships.
Keel for the second and third OPV from Goa Shipyard's lot was laid at Yeoman Shipyard, Ratnagiri on 23 March 2025. The main hull blocks of the vessels would be fabricated at YMSPL's Ratnagiri facility as part of GSL’s build strategy.
Design
The ships will have a displacement of and a length of depending upon the design opted by either of the shipyard. They will have a cruising speed of with a maximum speed greater than and an operating range of at a speed of. The ships will be equipped with state of the art facility and a hangar which can accommodate one HAL Dhruv. The Helipad can accommodate a helicopter of with facility to operate UAVs.These ship will be able to perform mine warfare roles with modular payload, presumably by the usage of UUVs and autonomous mine laying vehicles. The ship would be equipped with light weapons like 76mm main cannon along with CIWS systems and counter-measure system like Kavach decoy launchers and Maareech torpedo-countermeasure systems.
The CIWS will be partnered with EON-51 FCS, an electro optical fire-control system capable of search, detection and classification of targets by employing devices like Electro Optical and Thermal Imagers.
The ship will have the ability to store Shyena torpedoes for helicopter.