Indian Government nod for 4 more stealth destroyers

The government has cleared another major programme, 'Project-15B', to indigenously construct four guided-missile stealth destroyers for around Rs 30,000-crore at Mazagon Docks.

In its quest to become a powerful three-dimensional blue-water force and maintain a fleet of around 140 "surface and sub-surface combatants", the Navy already has 30 warships and six submarines on order in various Indian shipyards.

Moreover, it has an aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov or INS Vikramditya, three additional Talwar-class stealth frigates in Russia, as also two fleet tankers in Italy under construction.

Project-15B, which will be undertaken at MDL after the three Kolkata-class 6,700-tonne destroyers already being constructed there under a long-delayed Rs 11,662-crore project are finally delivered in 2012-2014, is understood to have been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday evening. It was earlier cleared by the Defence Acquisitions Council, chaired by defence minister A K Antony, in July.