State-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders Ltd today launched the first anti-submarine warfare corvette in the presence of Union Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju here.
The ship named ‘Kamorta’ meant for the Indian Navy will be equipped with excellent stealth characteristics and very low underwater noise signature.
With the indigenous component of the ship at 85 per cent, it will be ready for deployment in mid-2012.
GRSE officials said four ASW corvettes would be delivered by 2015 with the size of the order being Rs 7,000 crore. The current order book of GRSE is Rs 8,000 crore.
Raju said GRSE capabilities will be strengthened after the ongoing Rs 500 crore modernisation programme was complete by 2011.
He said all PSU shipyards for defence production were undergoing modernisation.
“We are trying to offer a level playing field and hope that large domestic corporates will soon enter defence production,” Raju said.

BY:  PTI