Project 18-class destroyer

A concept representation of Project-18 class destroyer
Class overview
NameProject 18A class
Operators Indian Navy
Preceded by
Built2035 onwards (expected)
Planned10-12
General characteristics
TypeStealth guided-missile destroyer
Displacement
Length180 meters (590 ft 7 in)
PropulsionIntegrated Electric Propulsion
Armament
Aircraft carried

The Project 18A destroyer, also referred to as Next Generation Destroyers (NGD), are a class of planned stealth guided-missile destroyers to be built for the Indian Navy (IN). The class will be a follow-on for Visakhapatnam-class destroyer which is in service. The class is a part of Next Generation series of future frontline surface combatants of the Indian Navy which includes the Project 17B-class frigate or Next Generation Frigates (NGF) and the Next Generation Corvettes (NGC).

History

Background

In December 2023, the then Vice Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh revealed that a class of advanced Next Generation Destroyers (NGD) or Project 18 destroyers is being designed by the Warship Design Bureau (WDB). As of then, the design and contract signing for construction was expected to be completed by 5 years. The delivery was to be completed within 5-10 years of contract signing. The ships will have a standard displacement of 10,000 tonnes. The leading contenders for the deal were Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE). The project, worth over $10 billion, includes a total of around 10-12 ships are to be built in two phases. MDL has also floated a tender to construct a floating dry dock near Nhava Sheva port for ₹3,000 crore (equivalent to ₹35 billion or US$360 million in 2026) in 2022. This will assist them for the construction of these warships. Reports also suggested that the ships will feature an indigenous S-band primary fire control radar developed by DRDO. This will replace EL/M-2248 MF-STAR radars used on previous ships like Kolkata-class and Visakhapatnam-class destroyer. They will also feature advanced indigenous weapon systems and an integrated electric propulsion (IEP).

Development

In 15 January 2025, the project was in the planning stage and implementation was expected to begin in few years. As of September 2025, the first phase of the NGD project including four 10,000 tonne destroyers are pending to be cleared by the Defence Ministry.

As per official sources, in November 2025, the Navy expects to receive the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) approval from the defence ministry's Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) for at least five 11,000 tonne destroyers in this fiscal year. The contract signing is expected within two years. The Navy has reportedly tested multiple smart technologies, to be integrated on these destroyers, onboard a trial platform. However, the project was yet to receive Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) from the Ministry of Defence in March 2026.

A report in November 2025 indicated the possibility of a Project 15C preceding the NGD programme, which will feature a clean slate design. A report by NDTV in July 2026 confirmed that both the NGD, referred to as the Project 18A destroyers, and the Project 15C are progressing. The P18A programme will deliver six ships with a displacement of 14–15,000 tonnes. The request for proposal (RFP) is now expected in 2029 with construction expected to start within eight years. The destroyer projects will be complemented by six Project 17B frigates.

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) accorded the in-principle approval for the P-18A destroyer project for the Indian Navy on 26 October 2026 at a cost of over ₹75,000 crore (US$7.8 billion). The deliveries of the over-10,000-tonne destroyers would commence around 5 to 10 years after the contract is signed.

Design

Armament

The class of warship might be equipped with 72-cell vertical launching systems (three 6 × 4 configuration) at the bow, a similar 72–48 cell VLS in the aft along with 8 slant launchers (2 × quad launchers) in the midship region. This implies a total of 120–144 VLS and 8 slant launchers for each ship. As per several reports, the ship will be operating surface-to-air missiles and anti-ballistic missiles (under Project Kusha) as well as surface-to-surface missiles and anti-ship missiles including VL-SRSAM, MR-SAM, PGLRSAM system, BrahMos-ER, BrahMos 2 hypersonic cruise missile, SMART and LR-LACM. These weapon systems will be equipped in Universal Vertical Launcher Modules (UVLMs). Other defence mechanisms like directed-energy weapon (DEW) and Maareech ATDS may be included.

The Universal Vertical Launcher Module (UVLM) originally developed by BrahMos Aerospace, and Larsen & Toubro for launching BrahMos missiles is now being integrated with other under-development missile systems like the LR-LACM and SMART.

See also

Other references to the Indian Navy

Other destroyers of comparable configurations and capabilities

References

  1. 1 2 Menon, Adithya Krishna (18 November 2025). "Indian Shipyard MDL Expects New Projects From Indian Navy". Naval News. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Madhavendra Pratap, Rishabh (10 July 2026). "Exclusive: Navy's Next Build-Up Takes Shape With 3 Warship Projects Worth Rs 1 Lakh Crore". NDTV. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Deshpande, Smruti (2 December 2023). "Next-gen destroyers on drawing board, Twin Engine Deck Based Fighters expected by 2032, says Navy". ThePrint. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Indian Navy to get 8 Next-Generation Destroyer (NGD)". 15 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Menon, Adithya Krishna (13 August 2023). "India Proceeds with New Submarines, Surface Ships Development". Naval News. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (29 August 2024). "India's First P17A Nilgiri-class Frigate Starts Sea Trials". Naval News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (13 August 2023). "India Proceeds with New Submarines, Surface Ships Development". Naval News. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  8. ↑ Ray, Kalyan. "India to become 175-warship Navy with bigger destroyers in the next decade, says Chief". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  9. ↑ "Indian Navy Expanding to Meet China Threat, Better Team With Allies". USNI News. 20 July 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
  10. ↑ @IndiannavyMedia (14 October 2022). "#PathtoPride @IndianNavy showcasing next generation Combat Management System in #DefExpo22" (Tweet). Retrieved 21 September 2024 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (15 January 2025). "Indian Navy Inducts New Destroyer, Frigate and Submarine". Naval News. Retrieved 18 January 2025.
  12. ↑ "India eyes 200 warships, submarines by 2035". The Times of India. 8 September 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  13. ↑ "Indian Navy to seek Govt approval for five next generation missile destroyers". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "DAC clears capital acquisition proposals worth Rs 2.12 lakh crore for defence forces" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 26 October 2026. Retrieved 26 October 2026. For the Indian Navy, approval was given for the procurement of Active Offboard Decoy System (AODS) and other major Naval platforms.
  15. ↑ "Plan for bigger, heavier, stealthy next-generation destroyers gets defence council's approval". The Times of India. 27 October 2026. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  16. ↑ "India Needs a Maritime Strategy for the 21st Century". thewire.in. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  17. ↑ "Naval variant of BRAHMOS missile has successfully been integrated". Retrieved 23 September 2024.
  18. ↑ Menon, Adithya Krishna (17 November 2024). "India Conducts Maiden Tests of Long Range Hypersonic and Subsonic Naval Missiles". Naval News. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation to Develop Nirbhay Anti-Ship Naval Variant". militaryleak.com. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 23 September 2024.