{"id":107407,"date":"2026-06-09T16:02:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=107407"},"modified":"2026-06-09T16:22:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T10:52:51","slug":"project-18-programme","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/project-18-programme\/","title":{"rendered":"Project 18 Programme"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><strong>Project 18 Programme Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>India\u2019s ambitious Project 18 programme is steadily taking shape as what is expected to be one of the most powerful surface combatant projects ever undertaken by the Indian Navy, according to a recent report.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>About Project 18 Programme<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Project 18 (P-18) <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Indian Navy\u2019s Next-Generation Destroyer (NGD) programme.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">It is <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">overseen <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">by the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Indian Navy\u2019s Warship Design Bureau (WDB)<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> in collaboration with <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders &amp; Engineers (GRSE).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Conceived as a <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">successor to the Visakhapatnam-class (P-15B) destroyers<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">, the P-18 class will be a fleet of advanced, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">multi-role stealth destroyers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"><strong>Features<\/strong>:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">With an estimated <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">displacement exceeding 13,000 tonnes,<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> the P-18 will rank among the largest destroyers ever operated by the Indian Navy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Under international classification,<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> warships above 10,000 tonnes fall into the <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">cruiser category <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">\u2014 a segment that <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">India currently does not possess.<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> Project 18 will mark India\u2019s entry into this class of warships.<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">They will use an advanced <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">electric propulsion system<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> powered by gas turbines and diesel generators.<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">It is also expected to incorporate<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> extensive automation<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> throughout the ship, <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">reducing crew requirements <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">by an estimated <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">25 to 30 percent<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> compared to existing platforms.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Each ship will feature <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">114 vertical launch systems<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\"> capable of firing a range of India\u2019s homegrown missiles, such as:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">BrahMos and <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/brahmos-missile\/\" target=\"_blank\">BrahMos<\/a> <\/strong>Next Generation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Long-Range Land-Attack Cruise Missiles (LR-LACM)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Precision-Guided Long-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (PGLRSAM)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Short-Range Surface-to-Air Missiles (SRSAM)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">Supersonic Missile-Assisted Release of Torpedo (SMART)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li dir=\"ltr\" style=\"line-height: 1.38; text-align: justify;\" role=\"presentation\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">The ships will be able to <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">carry unmanned underwater vehicles <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">and <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">kamikaze drones<\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; text-wrap-mode: wrap;\">, used for surveillance, detecting mines, and attacking submarines.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;\">Advanced radar systems <\/span><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;\">will give the ships 360-degree awareness and the ability to detect threats up to 500 kilometres away.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>News: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/tennews.in\/project-18-to-redefine-indian-navy-with-cruiser-sized-warships-futuristic-combat-systems-report\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><strong>TEN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Project 18 Programme is Indian Navy\u2019s Next-Generation Destroyer (NGD) programme. Read more about Project 18 Programme, Objectives, Features, Latest News.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":107345,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[8041],"class_list":{"0":"post-107407","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-prelims-current-affairs","8":"tag-project-18-programme","9":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107407","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107407"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107407\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107419,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107407\/revisions\/107419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107345"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}