Overview
- Yard 18003 ‘Krishna’ was ceremonially launched on February 13 at L&T’s Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai by Anupama Chauhan in the presence of Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
- The ship begins systems integration and trials before commissioning, with formal handover to the Navy expected by the end of 2026.
- Designed and built by L&T under a March 2023 Ministry of Defence contract for three vessels, the remaining two cadet training ships are under construction.
- The 122‑meter, 18‑meter‑beam vessel displaces about 4,700 tonnes and is configured for roughly 20 officers, 150 sailors and 200 cadets with classrooms and a dedicated training bridge.
- Primarily a sea‑training platform for the 1st Training Squadron based in Kochi, the ship can also support non‑combatant evacuation, hospital ship duties, humanitarian relief and search‑and‑rescue, and will host trainees from partner nations.