Cochin Shipyard lays keel for Indian Navy's first Next Generation Missile Vessel

Cochin Shipyard Limited laid the keel for BY 531, the first of six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMV) being built for the Indian Navy, in a ceremony on 18 September led by Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition at Integrated Headquarters, Indian Navy. The keel-laying came a day after steel cutting began on the second vessel in the series (17 September), in the presence of Rear Admiral Kapil Mehta, Assistant Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition - two construction milestones achieved within 24 hours on the same programme. The six-ship NGMV programme is being executed under a contract signed with the Ministry of Defence in March 2023, worth approximately ₹9,805 crore. The vessels are designed as high-speed ships with a maximum speed of 33 knots and a crew of about 80 personnel each, carrying surface-to-surface missile systems, anti-missile defence systems, air surveillance radars and fire-control radars.