Defence ministry clears path for indigenous construction of 12 mine countermeasure vessels to counter undersea threats
India has revived its long-delayed plan to indigenously build 12 advanced mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) to safeguard its coastline and ports from enemy-planted underwater mines—a move driven by rising security concerns over Chinese and Pakistani submarine activities in the Indian Ocean Region, reported timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Defence acquisition council to review ₹44,000 crore plan for vital naval capability.
According to defence ministry sources, the ₹44,000 crore proposal will soon be placed before the Rajnath Singh-led Defence Acquisitions Council (DAC) for approval of “acceptance of necessity (AoN).” Once cleared, a global tender (Request for Proposal) will be floated for Indian shipyards to submit techno-commercial bids.
The Indian Navy, which currently operates without a single dedicated MCMV, views this capability as critical. Its older Karwar-class and Pondicherry-class minesweepers were decommissioned years ago. Presently, the Navy relies on improvised “clip-on” mine detection systems aboard select ships to address this strategic gap.
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The MCMVs, each with a displacement of 900–1,000 tonnes, will be equipped with non-magnetic hulls, high-resolution sonars, and remote-controlled underwater vehicles to detect and neutralize mines
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These vessels will play a key role in preventing disruption to India’s maritime trade and port infrastructure along its 7,516-km coastline
Earlier efforts to build these vessels in collaboration with South Korea’s Kangnam through Goa Shipyard had collapsed over disputes on cost, technology transfer, and construction strategy. That ₹32,000 crore project was officially scrapped in 2017–18.
Navy looks to strengthen fleet amid growing regional challenges.
The MCMV revival comes at a time when China’s nuclear and conventional submarines are making frequent forays into the Indian Ocean, and Pakistan is expanding its underwater fleet with eight new Yuan-class submarines under construction by China.
Despite having a fleet of over 130 warships, the Navy aims to reach 160 warships by 2030. It currently has 60 vessels under construction in Indian shipyards and holds approvals for 31 more—including new-generation frigates, corvettes, and stealth submarines.
The Navy also played a critical role in Operation Sindoor this month, using forward deployment of assets like INS Vikrant and submarines to deter Pakistani escalation in the Arabian Sea.
Next month, India is set to commission INS Tamal, its second 3,900-tonne multi-role frigate built in Russia, adding further strength to the fleet.
