Cochin Shipyard Lays the Keel for the Indian Navy's First Next Generation Missile Vessel

19 September 2026· KeralaNational

Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) laid the keel at Kochi on 18 September 2026 for the first of six Next Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) for the Indian Navy, in a ceremony performed by Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition. The NGMVs will do 33 knots with a crew of 80, and will carry surface-to-surface missiles, anti-missile defences, air surveillance systems and fire control radars, making them among the Navy's most weapon-intensive surface combatants. The six-ship contract was signed on 30 March 2023 for about Rs 9,805 crore; steel cutting for the first vessel, BY-531, began in December 2024 and delivery is due from March 2027.

Static GK

Cochin Shipyard Limited at Kochi in Kerala is India's largest shipbuilding and ship-repair facility | CSL built INS Vikrant, India's first indigenous aircraft carrier | One knot equals one nautical mile per hour, about 1.852 km/h

ShareWhatsApp Telegram

More International Current Affairs

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh Flies His Final Sortie in an HJT-16 Kiran at the Air Force Academy, Dundigal

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh flew the last sortie of his career on 20 October 2026, a 55-minute flight in an HJT-16 Kiran Mk-1 (tail number U 707) from the Air Force Academy at Dundigal, near Hyderabad, with his first flying instructor, retired Wing Commander V.S. Kochar. Singh had begun flying training on the same type on 28 January 1984, and got a water cannon salute on landing. His final fighter sortie was in a Tejas on 12 October 2026 during Exercise Tarang Shakti at Jodhpur. The HAL-built Kiran first flew in 1964 and entered service in 1968.

GK ByteThe Air Force Academy at Dundigal, near Hyderabad, was established in 1969 and trains cadets for the IAF's flying and ground-duty branches | HJT stands for Hindustan Jet Trainer; HAL was founded in 1940 at Bangalore as Hindustan Aircraft Limited | The Indian Air Force was formed on 8 October 1932 and its motto is 'Nabha Sparsham Deeptam'

📅 20 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Fifth Edition of India-Australia Exercise AUSTRAHIND Begins at Thiruvananthapuram with New Zealand as First-Time Observer

The fifth edition of Exercise AUSTRAHIND, the India-Australia joint military exercise, began on 19 October 2026 at the Foreign Training Node, Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) and runs until 1 November 2026. About 240 soldiers are taking part, roughly 120 from each army. The theme is 'Joint Sub-Conventional Operations in Island and Coastal Environment under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate', with drills in surveillance and reconnaissance, protection of vital installations, coastal and island operations and HADR. New Zealand sent an observer delegation for the first time. The fourth edition was held at Irwin Barracks, Perth, Australia, from 13 to 26 October 2025.

GK ByteExercise AUSTRAHIND was first held in 2022 at the Mahajan Field Firing Ranges in Rajasthan | Australia's capital is Canberra and its currency is the Australian Dollar | Other India-Australia military exercises include the naval AUSINDEX and the multilateral Malabar exercise, which Australia rejoined in 2020

📅 19 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

DRDO's R&DE (Engineers) Develops Indigenous Armour Panels 20% Lighter Than Existing Systems

The Research and Development Establishment (Engineers), a DRDO laboratory at Pune, has developed indigenous armour panels that are 20% lighter than existing systems while meeting STANAG 4569 Level 6, the NATO protection standard requiring resistance to 30 mm armour-piercing ammunition. The panels have cleared in-house testing against DRDO's operational requirements and were listed around 1 October 2026 under the Category 'A' Transfer of Technology route, with three manufacturing licences on offer and several large firms reported interested. They are intended for future main battle tanks, light tanks and Future Infantry Combat Vehicles, improving mobility, fuel efficiency and strategic transportability in high-altitude sectors.

GK ByteDRDO was founded in 1958, is headquartered at DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi, and functions under the Department of Defence Research and Development | STANAG stands for Standardization Agreement, NATO's system of common standards; STANAG 4569 sets protection levels for occupants of logistic and light armoured vehicles | DRDO's Transfer of Technology routes let Indian industry licence and manufacture DRDO-developed systems

📅 19 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

Rajnath Singh Launches IIT Kanpur's 'Greater Than Us' Campaign; Institute Plans Defence Drone Hub

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has launched IIT Kanpur's 'Greater Than Us' campaign, which aims to raise USD 1 billion by March 2029 for research in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, semiconductors, drones, MedTech and sustainability. IIT Kanpur also unveiled plans for a defence drone hub with the Ministry of Defence to indigenise critical drone components. The push adds an academic leg to a drone ecosystem the armed forces have been building through the Army's first Baaz drone battalion in Punjab and DRDO's drone-launched missile trials, and complements the Drone Rules, 2021 and the drone production-linked incentive scheme.

GK ByteIIT Kanpur was established in 1959 and began India's first computer science programme in 1963 | India's drone framework includes the Drone Rules, 2021 and a Production Linked Incentive scheme for drones and drone components announced in 2021 | The Defence Research and Development Organisation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in New Delhi

📅 17 Oct 2026InternationalRead complete →

See all Defence →All Current Affairs