The Indian Navy has received its first indigenously designed and built Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV), Samarthak, from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at the Kattupalli Shipyard near Chennai on 27 August 2026.
The future INS Samartya marks the delivery of the first of two vessels ordered under a March 2022 contract with L&T, valued at Rs8.87bn ($92.95m).
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According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the 107m long ship with a displacement of more than 3,750 tonnes was designed and constructed by L&T under the “Buy-Indian” category, reflecting the government’s ongoing push for domestic capability under the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives.
The MoD said: “The delivery of Samarthak is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s indigenous shipbuilding journey and a reaffirmation of the Government’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The ship stands as a testament in India’s pursuit towards self-sustaining domestic defence industrial ecosystem.”
The future INS Samarthak, which comprises more than 75% indigenous components, was launched at Kattupalli Shipyard in 2024.
The vessel is engineered to serve multiple roles, including acting as a trial platform for the development and evaluation of next-generation weapons and sensors.
The vessel is also equipped to launch and recover both surface and aerial targets, carry out maritime surveillance and patrolling, support humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) operations, as well as combat sea pollution, according to L&T.
As a multi-role platform, the vessel can conduct towing operations, launch torpedoes, and provide limited hospital capabilities.
Additional functions include acting as a support platform for Interceptor and Salvage Vessel (ISV) operations, logistics support for remote island territories, and facilitating gunnery and anti-submarine warfare exercises.
The second vessel of the class, Utkarsh, was launched in January 2025 from the same shipyard.
In addition to the MPVs, L&T is constructing three Cadet Training Ships and six additional defence vessels for the Indian Navy under a public-private partnership contract.
L&T is also engaged in ship repair work, including servicing the US Naval Ship Charles Drew under an agreement with the US Navy.
