As we had mentioned before in one of our Posts before, the Navy and the MDL were choosing between Project 18 also known as NGD and Project 15C, the Successor of Project 15B destroyers. It seems by the recent interviews of MDL officials that advance talks have begun for Project 15C, which can be considered a significant jump from Project 15B. Several analysts say that this project is introduced because Indian Navy wants quick, low risk increment before committing to NGD which cost around 80.000-1,00,000 Crore Rupees.

This Project will include 4-6 destroyers according to the Navy’s desire. Each destroyer will weigh around 8,500-9,500 tons with their length being 165-170m. They are said to be equipped with 48-64 Universal Vertical Launch System (UVLS). They will have missiles like Brahmos, Barak 8 and future Vertical Launch-Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).

I feel it is a good approach but I also feel we should also consider some other aspects, most important of them being ‘Quantity’. Many of our destroyers like Kolkata Class destroyers are getting old and if we want to Acheive our Mission of 300 Warships by 2030-35, we need to also focus on Quantity like our Arch-Rival. We need to invest more in Defence overall, we should order atleast 7-8 destroyers under each project, this can be done only in two ways, one by compromising on quality which is not an option, second by increasing our Budget. If we really need to grow then some costs cannot be neglected.

What can be done in this case according me is that we can first initially order 6 Project 15C destroyers and after they are delievered we can place an order of additional two destroyers (Similarly to what we did with Kalvari Class Submarines) and simulataneously start working on design of Project 18 NGD destroyers. This way we can make sure of both ‘Quality’ and ‘Quantity’.

What do you think about my idea and what are your opinions on this topic or on how Navy and Gverenment should approach such Matters, please do let us know.

If you want to know more about Project 15C destroyers, heres the link:- https://idrw.org/mdl-hints-at-project-15c-a-stealthier-heavier-kolkata-class-successor-on-the-horizon/

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