Chennai: AstraYAN, an IIT Madras-incubated deep-tech company, has won the tender for Propulsion System Integration (PSI) for the Indian Navy’s Next Generation Corvettes (NGCs), marking a significant milestone for India’s indigenous naval technology ecosystem.
The achievement comes as India advances its naval modernisation programme. On November 2, 2026, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth ₹53,866.5 crore with Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Limited (GRSE) and Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) for the construction of eight Next Generation Corvettes—five by GRSE and three by GSL.
The selection process, spanning more than a year, began with five global participants and involved technical evaluation by the Indian Navy, the Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the shipyards. Following technical and commercial evaluation, three companies qualified, with AstraYAN emerging as the only indigenous supplier and eventually being declared L1 for the tender.
Propulsion System Integration: At the Heart of Warship Performance
Naval warships are designed around three fundamental functions: “Float, Move and Fight”. Propulsion is central to the “Move” component and therefore to the vessel’s overall design and operational capability. Warship propulsion systems are inherently complex, requiring vessels to patrol efficiently at low speeds while delivering high speeds when operational requirements demand.
Propulsion System Integration involves bringing together the vessel’s propulsion machinery, transmission architecture and control systems into a singular system with defined performance objectives. The NGC programme involves an advanced propulsion configuration combining diesel engines and gas turbines with a complex transmission system.
AstraYAN’s selection highlights the growing capability of Indian deep-tech companies to undertake sophisticated engineering and systems integration assignments traditionally handled by international technology providers.
AstraYAN: Building Indigenous Capabilities for the Indian Navy
AstraYAN is developing a comprehensive product ecosystem that enables shipbuilders to build advanced maritime platforms across varying levels of manning and autonomy, from conventional ships to fully unmanned vessels. Its portfolio includes autonomous systems (AutonomARK and RemoteARK), advanced control systems (SmartARK) and systems integration solutions (IntegARK), supported by its proprietary VyomARK middleware.
The company’s ongoing development projects also include development of Integrated Electronic Controllers for marine gas turbines and Smart Platform Management Systems for naval platforms. These technologies aim to strengthen the digital and control architecture of complex naval and commercial vessels, supporting greater systems integration and the transition towards smarter, increasingly autonomous platforms.
Dr Amit Batra, Founder of AstraYAN, said, “In today’s global supply chains, building every component of a complex naval ship indigenously may not always be possible. However, having sovereign control over the core design and technologies of a vessel is essential. India has been building highly capable naval ships, but several critical building blocks remain dependent on foreign players. With the growing maturity of Indian startups, this gap can be bridged through sustained engagement with the Navy and shipbuilders. The NGC PSI programme is an excellent example of such an engagement.”
Aatmanirbharta Beyond Shipbuilding
As India strengthens its indigenous warship design and construction capabilities, the role of domestic technology companies in critical areas of defence engineering becomes increasingly important. Beyond shipbuilding, indigenous capabilities in systems design, propulsion integration, electronic controls and digital technologies are essential to developing technologically self-reliant naval platforms.
AstraYAN’s tender win represents an important step in this direction, demonstrating the growing contribution of India’s deep-tech ecosystem to the country’s naval and maritime ambitions.
