Overview
- The Navy commissioned INS Samarthak at Karwar on Friday, October 16, 2026, in a ceremony attended by Vice‑President C. P. Radhakrishnan and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan.
- Larsen & Toubro designed and built the ship at its Kattupalli yard under a Defence Ministry contract worth about Rs 887 crore, and the Ministry says more than 75% of the vessel’s content is indigenous.
- Samarthak is a specialised trials mothership with a Dynamic Positioning System that lets it hold exact position to launch and recover surface and aerial targets and to operate unmanned and autonomous vehicles.
- Reported specifications list about 3,750 tonnes displacement, roughly 106–107 metres length and a top speed near 15 knots, and the ship can also tow distressed vessels, carry medical facilities and be reconfigured for humanitarian response.
- The commissioning marks a milestone for private‑sector shipbuilding in India and is meant to shorten the path from prototype to deployment for homegrown sensors and weapons while offering the Navy a flexible support and surge‑response platform.