Pendharkar noted the commissioning of INS Sandhayak, the first ship in the Survey Vessel (Large) Project, on February 3, 2024, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. He added that ‘Nirdeshak,’ the second ship in this project, was delivered in October 2024 and is scheduled to be commissioned on December 18, 2024.
He also revealed plans for commissioning the first ships of the Nilgiri-class frigates, starting with Nilgiri, the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, beginning with Arnala, and the Diving Support Vessel class, starting with Nistar, in the coming months. “We will be inducting additional High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft, which will significantly improve our surveillance capabilities. The recently inducted MH-60R helicopters, which have boosted our anti-submarine warfare capabilities, will soon begin operations from Visakhapatnam,” he stated.
He further highlighted the progress in unmanned and autonomous platforms, mentioning the operation of rotary UAVs from ships and the development of autonomous surface vessels like ‘Matangi,’ which recently completed a sea transit from Mumbai to Tuticorin.
Pendharkar revealed that projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore are in progress, including efforts to augment berthing space at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.
He described the foundation-laying of the VLF Station at Vikarabad as “a significant milestone that will bolster our long-distance naval communication capabilities.”
