Navy gets first nod for ₹2.41 lakh crore of new platforms, readies Swavlamban 2026
In one line: The Navy says 42 vessels are on order and another 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft, worth about ₹2.41 lakh crore, have cleared the first procurement step, as it prepares its fifth Swavlamban innovation seminar.
Published 20 October 2026. Written by Pratidin from the reports linked at the end; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
At a curtain-raiser in New Delhi on 19 October 2026 for Swavlamban 2026, the Navy's innovation and indigenisation seminar, the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, said 42 naval vessels are already on order. The Navy has also received Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), the first step in defence procurement, for 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft, worth about ₹2.41 lakh crore; these are at different stages of procurement. The request for proposal (RFP) for four landing platform docks (LPDs) went to shortlisted shipyards the previous week, and the RFP for the next-generation frigate a couple of weeks before that.
On propulsion, the Navy has begun developing an indigenous diesel engine under the 'Make' category and has AoN for a 24 to 28 megawatt marine gas turbine, including gas turbine generators. Integrated full electric propulsion will be developed under an intergovernmental agreement with the United Kingdom and is earmarked for the four LPDs. Kochhar listed artificial intelligence, cognitive and deception systems, advanced propulsion, surveillance, drones, counter-drone systems and quantum technology as focus areas. He said the Navy has defined requirements in "quantum positioning, quantum detection and quantum communications" and wants to operate in "a GPS-denied environment". He contrasted drones costing $35,000 to 50,000 with missiles costing $2 to 3 million used to shoot them down.
Swavlamban 2026, the fifth edition, will be held on 26 and 27 October at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. Through the iDEX framework the Navy has received over 4,000 proposals from Indian innovators, with about 150 MSMEs and start-ups taking part. AoN has been accorded for projects worth more than ₹3,500 crore and contracts worth over ₹1,900 crore concluded, up from AoNs above ₹2,700 crore and contracts of nearly ₹1,500 crore reported last year. Current challenges include quantum positioning systems, high-power microwave directed-energy weapons, an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle and indigenous ramjet engines for fixed-wing aerial platforms. Kochhar named scale, sophistication, speed and spiral development as guiding principles. The gap between AoN and delivery remains the test: AoN only starts a long procurement process.
Prelims facts
- The Navy has AoN for 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft worth about ₹2.41 lakh crore; 42 vessels are already on order.
- RFPs have been issued for four landing platform docks and the next-generation frigate; integrated full electric propulsion for the LPDs will be developed with the UK.
- Swavlamban 2026, the fifth edition of the Navy's innovation and indigenisation seminar, is on 26 and 27 October 2026 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
- Through iDEX the Navy has received over 4,000 proposals; AoN exceeds ₹3,500 crore and contracts exceed ₹1,900 crore.
- The Navy seeks quantum positioning, high-power microwave weapons, an extra-large AUV and indigenous ramjets.
Quick recall
- How many naval vessels are on order, per the Vice Chief (October 2026)?
- 42.
- What has AoN for 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft?
- About ₹2.41 lakh crore of platforms.
- Dates and venue of Swavlamban 2026?
- 26 and 27 October 2026, Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
- Which edition is Swavlamban 2026?
- The fifth.
- How many iDEX proposals has the Navy received?
- Over 4,000, with about 150 MSMEs and start-ups taking part.
- With which country will integrated full electric propulsion be developed?
- The United Kingdom, under an intergovernmental agreement, for the four LPDs.
- What does SPRINT stand for?
- Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through iDEX, NIIO and TDAC.
- Who founded the Defence Innovation Organisation?
- HAL and BEL; it is a Section 8 not-for-profit company.
Prelims practice question
With reference to the Indian Navy's Swavlamban seminar, consider the following statements:
1. The 2026 edition is the fifth edition of the seminar.
2. It is the forum at which the Prime Minister unveiled the SPRINT challenges in 2022.
3. SPRINT aimed to induct at least 75 indigenous technologies or products into the Navy.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
- 1 and 2 only
- 2 and 3 only
- 1 and 3 only
- 1, 2 and 3
Show answer
Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3. All three are correct. Swavlamban 2026 is the fifth edition. At the first Swavlamban, organised by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation in July 2022, the Prime Minister unveiled the SPRINT challenges, which aimed to induct at least 75 new indigenous technologies or products.
Use this in UPSC Mains: previous-year questions
Recurring theme: Maritime security and indigenisation of defence technology
- How to use this
Use it to illustrate recent technical and organisational initiatives to strengthen maritime security through indigenous platforms and technologies.
- The Navy has 42 vessels on order and AoN for 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft worth about ₹2.41 lakh crore (October 2026).
- Through iDEX it has received over 4,000 proposals; Swavlamban 2026 challenges include quantum positioning for GPS-denied operations and high-power microwave weapons.
- RFPs have been issued for four landing platform docks and the next-generation frigate.
Defence indigenisation is one face of Make in India, but this question turns on skills and labour reform, which the story does not cover.
Mains practice question
Indigenisation of naval platforms and technologies is central to India's maritime security. Discuss the progress and the challenges, with reference to recent initiatives of the Indian Navy. (150 words)
Model answer
The Navy's Vice Chief said on 19 October 2026 that 42 vessels are on order and 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft worth about ₹2.41 lakh crore have Acceptance of Necessity.
Progress
- Platforms: RFPs issued for four landing platform docks and the next-generation frigate.
- Propulsion: indigenous diesel engine under the 'Make' category; AoN for a 24 to 28 MW marine gas turbine; electric propulsion with the UK.
- Innovation: over 4,000 iDEX proposals; AoN above ₹3,500 crore and contracts above ₹1,900 crore, up from about ₹2,700 crore and ₹1,500 crore last year.
- Frontier tech: quantum positioning for GPS-denied operations, high-power microwave weapons, extra-large AUVs, ramjets.
Challenges
- AoN is only the first step; platforms are at different stages.
- Key propulsion still needs foreign partners.
- Cost asymmetry: $35,000 to 50,000 drones versus $2 to 3 million missiles.
Way forward
- Faster prototype-to-deployment paths and spiral development, as the Navy itself says.
Turning approvals into hulls on time will decide whether indigenisation delivers security.
The basics
Why this matters
A navy is built over decades. Ships take years to design and build, and engines, sensors and weapons often come from abroad. Indigenisation means designing and making these at home, so that supply cannot be cut off in a crisis. The Navy's October 2026 numbers show a large order book and a growing pipeline of start-up ideas.
From approval to ship
Acceptance of Necessity is only the opening gate of a long process. A simplified view:
- 1Acceptance of NecessityThe government accepts that the capability is needed
- 2Request for proposalShortlisted shipyards are asked to bid, as for the four LPDs
- 3EvaluationBids are examined and the winner chosen
- 4ContractThe order is signed; the Navy now has 42 vessels on order
- 5Build and inductThe ship is built, tested and commissioned
The innovation pipeline
Big shipyards build hulls, but much new technology comes from small firms. The Navy reaches them through iDEX and the Defence Innovation Organisation and its annual seminar, explained in Swavlamban and SPRINT.
- 1iDEXLaunched in April 2018; funds and supports start-ups and MSMEs with defence R&D
- 2Defence Innovation OrganisationNot-for-profit Section 8 company founded by HAL and BEL; manages iDEX
- 3NIIONaval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation; hosts Swavlamban
- 4SPRINTChallenges to induct at least 75 indigenous technologies, unveiled in 2022
Why quantum now
Satellite navigation can be jammed or spoofed. Quantum positioning would let a ship know where it is without satellites, which is why the Navy has put it on its challenge list.
Go deeper
Why it matters for UPSC
Defence indigenisation, maritime security and emerging technologies such as quantum sensing are GS3 themes. The numbers here give you current, citable data on the Navy's build-up and its start-up pipeline.
The core idea
Approvals start with Acceptance of Necessity. Platforms then go through RFPs and contracts. Alongside the big platforms, the Navy taps small firms through iDEX and the Defence Innovation Organisation and showcases them at Swavlamban and SPRINT. Among the hardest challenges it has set is Quantum positioning, a way to navigate without GPS.
Numbers and dates to remember
- 19 October 2026: curtain-raiser by Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
- 42 vessels on order; 78 ships and submarines and 120 fast interceptor craft with AoN, about ₹2.41 lakh crore.
- 26 and 27 October 2026: Swavlamban 2026, fifth edition, Manekshaw Centre.
- Over 4,000 iDEX proposals; about 150 MSMEs and start-ups; AoN above ₹3,500 crore; contracts above ₹1,900 crore.
- 24 to 28 MW: marine gas turbine with AoN.
Where to go next
- Acceptance of Necessity: the first gate in defence buying.
- iDEX and the Defence Innovation Organisation: how start-ups reach the forces.
- Swavlamban and SPRINT: the Navy's indigenisation seminar.
- Quantum positioning: navigation without satellites.
Go deeper: approvals versus delivery
The optimistic view. The order book is large and the pipeline is growing. AoN for innovation projects has risen from above ₹2,700 crore to above ₹3,500 crore in a year, and contracts from nearly ₹1,500 crore to over ₹1,900 crore. Attendance at Swavlamban has grown from about 800 at the first edition to nearly 3,000 last year. The Navy is also developing its own diesel engine and has approval for a 24 to 28 MW marine gas turbine.
The cautious view. Acceptance of Necessity is only the first step; the 78 platforms are at different stages, and several steps remain before a ship is commissioned. Integrated full electric propulsion will still be developed with the United Kingdom, showing that the most complex systems need partners.
The cost of modern threats. Kochhar's own figures make the case for directed-energy weapons: a drone costing $35,000 to 50,000 can force the use of a missile costing $2 to 3 million. Microwave and laser weapons aim to change that cost equation, which is why high-power microwave systems are on the challenge list.
Speed as a principle. The Navy's four principles, scale, sophistication, speed and spiral development, are an admission that slow cycles are the main risk. iDEX and the Defence Innovation Organisation and Swavlamban and SPRINT are meant to shorten them, and Quantum positioning is a test of whether India can work at the frontier rather than catch up.
Acceptance of Necessity
The first gate every defence purchase passes.
In one line: Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) is the formal approval that a proposed defence capability is needed, and it opens the procurement process.
What it is and is not
AoN is the first step in procurement. It does not mean a contract has been signed or money spent. After AoN, a request for proposal goes to vendors or shipyards, bids are evaluated and a contract follows. The Navy's 78 ships and submarines with AoN are, in Kochhar's words, at different stages.
In the news
- About ₹2.41 lakh crore of naval platforms have AoN.
- A 24 to 28 MW marine gas turbine has AoN.
- Innovation projects worth over ₹3,500 crore have AoN through the Swavlamban pipeline.
Where to go next
iDEX and the Defence Innovation Organisation
The channel through which start-ups reach the armed forces.
In one line: iDEX (Innovations for Defence Excellence) funds and supports start-ups and small firms to develop defence technology, and is run by the Defence Innovation Organisation.
How it is set up
iDEX was launched by the Prime Minister in April 2018. It is funded and managed by the Defence Innovation Organisation (DIO), a not-for-profit company under Section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013, whose founding members are the defence public sector firms HAL and BEL. iDEX is DIO's executive arm; DIO gives policy guidance.
In the news
The Navy has received over 4,000 proposals through iDEX, with about 150 MSMEs and start-ups taking part in Swavlamban 2026.
Where to go next
Swavlamban and SPRINT
The Navy's yearly showcase for home-grown technology.
In one line: Swavlamban is the Indian Navy's innovation and indigenisation seminar, and SPRINT is the challenge programme launched at its first edition.
Origins
The first Swavlamban, hosted by the Naval Innovation and Indigenisation Organisation (NIIO), was held on 18 and 19 July 2022. The Prime Minister unveiled the SPRINT challenges there. SPRINT stands for Supporting Pole-Vaulting in R&D through iDEX, NIIO and TDAC, and aimed to induct at least 75 new indigenous technologies or products into the Navy.
The 2026 edition
The fifth edition is on 26 and 27 October 2026 at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi, with over 100 stalls. Its challenges include quantum positioning, high-power microwave directed-energy systems, an extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle and indigenous ramjets for fixed-wing aerial platforms.
Where to go next
Quantum positioning
Why the Navy wants to navigate without GPS.
In one line: Quantum positioning aims to tell a ship where it is without satellite signals, using sensors built on extremely cold atoms that respond to tiny movements.
The idea from zero
Satellite navigation such as GPS works by receiving signals from space. Those signals can be jammed or spoofed in war. A quantum positioning system instead measures the ship's own motion very precisely, using atoms cooled close to absolute zero, about minus 273 degrees Celsius, so the ship's position estimate does not depend on outside signals.
Why the Navy wants it
The Vice Chief said the Navy has defined requirements in quantum positioning, quantum detection and quantum communications, and wants to operate in a GPS-denied environment. Quantum positioning is on the Swavlamban 2026 challenge list.
Where to go next
Take the 20 October 2026 quiz: 24 Prelims-style questions with answers