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The warships will have an endurance of 14 days at sea without replenishment and a maximum speed of 26 knots
AstraYAN, an IIT-Madras-incubated deep-tech company, has emerged L1 to bag a tender for Propulsion System Integration (PSI) for the five indigenous Next Generation Corvettes — a light armoured warship Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd (GRSE) will be manufacturing for the Indian Navy at a cost of ₹32,000 crore.
Lt Cdr Raghuveeraje Urs (Rtd), Chief Operating Officer (COO) of AstraYAN Private Ltd, told businessline that his startup has outbid global majors from Italy and Germany to emerge L1 in the contract for integration of advanced Combined Diesel and Gas Turbine–Cross-Connect (CODAG-CC) propulsion arrangement to power the NGCs.
Now, the bid will enter into the price negotiation stage, which would take at least a month before the deal will be closed with the leading defence PSU GRSE to start the work on the PSI, the COO said. AstraYAN, he stressed, is the first Indian company to achieve this rare complex technological feat and with a team of just 15 people.
This propulsion architecture, as per the GRSE, is designed to support the operational requirements of the versatile frontline combat platforms. Designed for a wide spectrum of maritime missions, the NGCs will undertake multi-role operations, including offensive ship-to-ship and ship-to-surface missile attacks, anti-missile defence, anti-submarine warfare, escort duties, maritime interdiction operations (MIO), including Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS), and local naval defence.
The ancillary contract process stems from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday signing deals worth ₹53,866.5 crore with GRSE and Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) for overall construction of eight NGCs — five by the GRSE and three by GSL. As per the COO, AstraYAN will pitch in to get a contract for similar PSI that the GSL will require for three NGCs it has to build.
Selection process
The selection process, spanning more than a year, began with the participation of five prominent global players — such as Fincantieri, an Italian shipyard; Navatia, a Spanish shipyard; and RENK from Germany, said the naval architect who has served before with the Indian Navy.
The technical evaluation was done by the Indian Navy, the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), a lab of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the shipyards.
Following technical and commercial evaluation, three companies — Fincanteri, RENK and AstraYAN qualified, with the Chennai-based start-up eventually being declared L1 for the tender.
The corvettes will measure 127 metres in length and 17.6 metres in beam, with a specified deadweight tonnage of 4,950 tonnes. The warships will have an endurance of 14 days at sea without replenishment and a maximum speed of 26 knots.
Published on November 3, 2026
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