NEW DELHI — The Indian authorities on Wednesday accredited the acquisition of three coaching ships cadets for $388.5 million from native personal protection firm Larsen & Toubro.

Defence Minister Rajnath Sigh tweeted on Wednesday that the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, endorsed the signing of a contract for the vessels. The Ministry of Defence stated it would ink the contract later this month, with deliveries to start out in 2026.

The ships are to assist prepare officer cadets at sea following fundamental coaching for the Indian Navy. India might additionally use the ships for humanitarian help and catastrophe aid missions.

The MoD stated the ships would additionally present coaching to cadets from pleasant nations, with the purpose of strengthening diplomatic relations.

The deliberate order is anticipated to bolster the Indian Navy’s coaching functionality. The service at the moment operates three cadet coaching ships.

Larsen & Toubro received a young for the naval program final yr underneath the ministry’s Buy Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) procurement class, beating out five state-run shipyards: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.; Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers; Goa Shipyard Ltd.; Hindustan Shipyard Ltd.; and Cochin Shipyard Ltd.

The Larsen & Toubro shipyard within the city of Kattupalli in Chennai, southern India, is to assemble the three ships.

The MoD famous that with the vast majority of gear and methods sourced from indigenous producers, these vessels will serve for example of India’s effort to turn out to be self-reliant.

The firm stated every coaching ship shall be 122 meters in size and 18 meters in breadth. They are to have a displacement of 4,700 tons, the contractor added, whereas having the ability to attain a pace of 20 knots, function an endurance of 60 days and seven,500 miles at 15 knots.

Each ship ought to home 20 officers, 150 sailors and 200 cadets. Additionally, they may have an bridge and a chart home devoted for cadet coaching, plus three lecture rooms with a seating capability of 70 in every.

The ships will even function 75mm and 12.7mm weapons, close-in-weapons with hearth management methods, fight administration and knowledge hyperlink methods, and superior composite communication expertise.