SYLLABUS
GS- 3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.
Context: The Indian Navy commissioned INS Samarthak, an indigenously built multi-purpose vessel, at Karwar, Karnataka, strengthening India’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities and defence self-reliance.
About INS Samarthak
- Type: Indigenous Multi-Purpose Vessel (MPV), designed primarily as a platform for trials and evaluation.
- Builder: Larsen & Toubro (L&T), at its Kattupalli shipyard in Tamil Nadu.
- Indigenous content: Over 75%, reflecting the growing role of India’s private shipbuilding industry in developing platforms for the armed forces.
- Dimensions and displacement: Approximately 106 metres long, with a beam of 16.8 metres; displacement of 3,750 tonnes.
- Maximum speed: 15 knots (approximately 27 km/h).
- Key capabilities:
- Trials and evaluation: Tests and evaluates indigenous weapons, radars, sensors and other naval systems before their wider operational deployment.
- Dynamic Positioning System: Enables the vessel to maintain a precise position at sea during specialised operations.
- Target deployment: Can launch and recover surface and aerial targets for gunnery and anti-submarine warfare training.
- Unmanned systems: Functions as a mothership for deploying and operating unmanned and autonomous surface and aerial vehicles.
- Multiple operational roles: Undertakes maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, offshore patrolling, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), towing and salvage operations.
- Emergency response: Supports Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), firefighting, medical assistance and non-combatant evacuation missions. It can be converted into a limited-capacity hospital vessel.
- Design and construction: Incorporates modular construction and pre-outfitting techniques to optimise shipbuilding and reduce construction timelines.
- Crest and motto: The crest features an Indian elephant emerging from the waves, symbolising strength, intelligence and agility. Its motto is “Victory is Our Sole Aim.”
Significance of This Achievement
- Defence self-reliance: With over 75% indigenous content, the vessel advances the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat and reduces dependence on foreign facilities for testing naval technologies.
- Indigenous technology development: Provides a dedicated platform to test and evaluate next-generation weapons, sensors and emerging technologies under operational maritime conditions, helping translate domestic innovation into deployable capabilities.
- Strengthening private-sector participation: Highlights the growing contribution of private shipyards, micro, small and medium enterprises, equipment manufacturers and ancillary industries to India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem.
- Enhanced maritime security: Its multi-role capabilities support surveillance, reconnaissance, patrolling, unmanned-system operations and responses to conventional and non-traditional maritime threats in the Indian Ocean Region.
- Industrial and strategic benefits: Modular construction and pre-outfitting help improve shipbuilding efficiency, while the project contributes to employment generation, domestic industrial capability development and India’s strategic autonomy.