Reuters, citing defense sources, reported that Prime Minister Modi had summoned a meeting of the cabinet committee on security on 16 February to approve construction of seven frigates equipped with stealth features to avoid easy detection, and the government cleared an $8 billion plan to build India’s most advanced warships.
Under the “Project-17A” , four stealth frigates will be built at naval shipyards Mumbai and three in Kolkata. “Project 17-A was awaiting cabinet clearance since 2012,” a defense source said, adding the Modi government was moving quickly on a project seen as of critical national importance.
The Times of India said the government had also approved six nuclear-powered submarines for a further $8 billion. After the cabinet committee for security approval, technical parameters or naval staff qualitative requirements (NSQRs) will be drafted for the over 6,000-tonne submarines. These are likely to be constructed at the ship-building center in Visakhapatnam in the eastern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh where India’s first three nuclear-powered submarines with nuclear ballistic missiles are being built.
