Overview
- The Indian Navy formally commissioned INS Samarthak at Karwar on Friday, placing the lead ship of a new multi-purpose vessel class into active service under Commander Sushil Kumar Singh.
- Designed and built by Larsen & Toubro at Kattupalli, Samarthak is a specialised trials-and-evaluation platform intended to launch, recover and operate unmanned aerial, surface and subsurface systems.
- The ship measures about 106–107 metres, displaces roughly 3,700–3,750 tonnes, has a 15-knot top speed and a Dynamic Positioning System to hold precise station during complex tests and launches.
- More than 75% of the vessel’s equipment is indigenous under the Make in India drive, the two-ship contract (reported at about Rs 887 crore) delivered Samarthak on August 27 and its sister ship Utkarsh is now undergoing sea trials with two further MPVs cleared for procurement.
- Officials say the induction frees frontline combatants from support tasks, shortens prototype-to-fielding for homegrown sensors and weapons, and expands private-sector roles in the naval supply chain that could speed future shipbuilding and work for MSMEs and OEMs.