The Indian Navy is set to commission INS Samarthak, a multi-purpose vessel designed to support a wide range of maritime operations, at Naval Base Karwar on October 16, 2026. Built by Larsen and Toubro (L&T) under the government’s Make in India initiative, the vessel is the first of two ships being inducted under the Samarthak-class project and is intended to support surveillance, patrol, weapons testing, unmanned systems operations and humanitarian missions.
Unlike conventional frontline warships designed around specific combat roles, INS Samarthak has been developed to undertake varied tasks at sea. Its capabilities include deploying and recovering aerial and surface targets for weapons training, serving as a platform for testing sensors and weapons, operating unmanned and autonomous systems, and providing towing and salvage support. The ship can also be configured for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions, including conversion into a limited-capacity hospital vessel.
