Further Reading

Next Generation Missile Vessel (NGMV)

India is looking to acquire 06 next generation missile vessels (NGMVs) under ‘Buy (Indian)/Buy and Make (Indian)’ category. The Ministry of Defence issued a request for information February 11, 2015. The aim of RFI To finalise the specifications of Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) to meet the Indian Navy’s requirements.

India is looking to acquire at least six vessels. The Indian Navy wants a vessel capable of a maximum speed of no less than 35 knots and able to remain at sea for up to 10 days. The NGMV will carry surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles. The vessel will need a range of 2,800 nautical miles.

The 1,250-ton ‘pocket battleships’ are to be armed with Brahmos anti-shipping missiles which can strike targets at sea and on land 300 kilometeres away. The boats, which will replace the Navy’s ageing Prabal class missile-boats, will be equipped with surface to air missiles, close-in-weapon-systems to intercept hostile missiles, a main gun and point defence guns.

The main capabilities that NGMVs are envisaged to possess are Surface warfare capabilities, low RADAR, acoustic, magnetic and IR signature, high endurance and credible AMD/AA capability.

The RFI on NGMVs leaves out specifics of displacement, though it appears that it could be a 2,000-2,500 tonne vessel, a class smaller than the Kamorta class ASW Corvettes, indigenously designed by DGND (SSG) and built by the Garden Reach Shipyard and Engineers Limited, Kolkata, but larger than the Kora and Khukri class corvettes also from the GRSE stables. NGMVs could well be an advanced version of Goa Shipyard Ltd. built Saryu class, NOPVs but with powerful weapons package.

The new Russian 22160 class corvette will probably be a contender for this order. With 24 Shtil-1 SAMs and 8 KALIBIRs she should be almost as heavily armed as a full size frigate while displacing only half the weight. A customised version of the same for the IN could carry 4 Nirbahy's and 8 BRAHMOS alongwith 24 Barak 1.

The Indian Navy (IN) Directorate of Ship Production issued a request for information (RfI) relating to six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) under the "˜Buy (Indian)/Buy and Make (Indian)" category of the Defence Procurement Policy (DPP) 2013. The RfI, issued in early February, aimed to "finalise the specifications of the NGMVs to meet the Indian Navy's requirements," after which requests for proposal (RfPs) will be issued to selected vendors. The RfI stipulates that the IN only welcomed responses from vendors that meet certain "œminimum qualifying criteria" including the key stipulation that it should be a shipyard that has built "vessel(s) of similar specifications".

The Defense Acquisition Council headed by Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar held a meeting at the Defense Ministry 25 June 2016 that approved a proposal to construct an all-new class of six next-generation missile boats in India, which, once completed, will be among the most powerful vessels of their class in the world. The 1,250-ton ‘pocket battleships’ are to be armed with Brahmos anti-shipping missiles.

The boats, which will replace the Navy’s ageing Prabal class missile-boats, will also be equipped with surface to air missiles, close-in-weapon-systems to intercept hostile missiles, a main gun and point defence guns to counter threats, potentially from terrorists operating in small fast boats. They will be built in India and with the project likely to cost Rs. 13,000 crores.

The main capabilities that NGMVs are envisaged to possess are Surface warfare capabilities, low RADAR, acoustic, magnetic and IR signature, high endurance and credible AMD/AA capability. The propulsion system should be able to provide the requisite power to weight ratio required for the ship. The propulsion system should also cater for greater endurance and operations in low speed regimes during Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) or Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) patrols. The main engines should be capable of achieving the rated speed at 85% MCR of the engine. The propulsion system should be suitably designed to meet the stealth requirements of the ship. The ships MCR should have automated and remote monitoring and indication and control capability for all machinery including PGD.

Auxiliary systems like AC, refrigeration and ventilation, fire main, salvage, ballast and other relevant auxiliary systems as per class requirements and considered necessary for meeting operational requirements to be provided.

The Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) shall be dual redundant Gigabit Ethernet Network, distributed architecture system covering the ship machinery and systems. The purpose of the integrated system shall be to provide control and monitoring of the propulsion machinery, power generation and distribution, auxiliary machinery and Damage control (NBCD) machinery and systems through corresponding sub-systems.

An independent APMS system with switchboard should be provided to cater for 100% reserve power and redundancy vis-a-vis maximum electrical load envisaged at any operating regimes of the ship assuming an ideal loading of generators to 80% of the nominal rating. Growth margin is to be catered as per IN policy, subject to a minimum of 10% of the estimated value. The APMS system is to be suitably interfaced with IPMS. Generators should be suitable for unattended parallel operation. The electrical system and machinery and associated equipment shall conform to Naval standards over and above classification rules.