Three indigenously built warships were formally inducted into the Indian Navy at Kolkata's Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, marking a significant step in the country's push toward self-reliance in defence manufacturing. Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the commissioning ceremony and made clear that India's strategic ambition goes well beyond buying weapons from abroad.

"These ships have been built in India. Their design was developed in India. The skills and hard work of Indian engineers have gone into them," Modi said at the event. He added that India no longer wishes to remain only a buyer in the defence sector — the goal now is to become a manufacturer. "The day we become manufacturers, we will also become decisive," he said.

The three vessels — stealth frigate INS Dunagiri, survey ship INS Sandhayak, and anti-submarine warfare craft INS Agraay — were all designed by the Indian Navy's Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata.

INS Dunagiri is the most combat-ready of the three. The fifth frigate under Project 17A, it carries BrahMos surface-to-surface supersonic missiles, one of the most formidable weapons in India's naval inventory. It also has helicopter operating capability and stealth features that reduce its radar cross-section, making it harder for enemy systems to detect. Captain Divya Alok, the ship's Commanding Officer (Designate), confirmed Dunagiri will join the Eastern Naval Command and the Eastern Fleet — a posting of considerable strategic weight given India's growing interests across the Bay of Bengal and the broader Indo-Pacific.

INS Sandhayak takes on a different but critical role. The fourth vessel in the Survey Vessel (Large) series, it is built for hydrographic and oceanographic work — mapping sea depths, collecting marine data, and producing nautical charts used by both the Navy and civilian shipping. It carries Autonomous Underwater Vehicles and Remotely Operated Vehicles, giving it deep-sea survey capability that older vessels in the series lacked.

INS Agraay is the fourth Arnala-class anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft. Equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers, and advanced sonar systems, it is designed specifically to detect and engage enemy submarines operating close to India's coastline. Its silent running mode — the ability to operate at very low acoustic levels — makes it particularly difficult for adversarial sonar to pick up. Beyond combat, it can also be deployed in search and rescue operations and for monitoring maritime traffic along the coast.

All three ships represent a continuation of India's effort to reduce dependence on foreign defence imports. GRSE has been one of the primary engines of this push, delivering multiple vessels across different classes over the past several years.