Cochin Shipyard conducts keel-laying ceremony for India’s next-generation missile vessels

NEW DELHI: In the first step towards building India’s advanced weapon-intensive platforms, Cochin Shipyard Ltd on Friday laid the keel for the first next generation missile vessel (NGMV) project being built for the Indian Navy.Vice Admiral Sanjay Sadhu, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition from Integrated Headquarters, Navy, was the chief guest at the keel-laying ceremony. Jose V J, CMD of CSL, other senior officials of the Navy and the shipyard were present at the event.NGMVs are planned advanced, heavy-duty, high-speed stealth corvettes that have been designed for anti-surface warfare, maritime strike operations and sea-denial near crucial maritime choke points.Under this programme, the Indian Navy intends to acquire six advanced missile vessels. Such warships will be armed with anti-ship missiles or land-attack missiles like BrahMos cruise missiles.