Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has described 2026 as a historic year for the Indian Navy, with plans for the induction or commissioning of 18 warships during the year.

Addressing the second edition of the Indian Navy’s biannual Commander’s Conference 2026 in New Delhi yesterday, Mr Singh said that the developments reflected the growing maturity of India’s domestic naval shipbuilding ecosystem. Underlining the Navy’s efforts towards achieving self-reliance in the defence sector, the Defence Minister emphasised that the Indian Navy’s warship production ecosystem is now meeting global benchmarks.

He said the warships commissioned recently contain over 75 percent indigenous content. The Minister called for a significant upgrade of India’s maritime surveillance architecture, recognising the importance of existing systems. He added that the growing volume and complexity of maritime traffic require enhanced analytical capabilities.