Vice-President C. P. Radhakrishnan commissioned INS Samarthak at Karwar in Karnataka on October 16, adding a domestically built multipurpose platform to the Indian Navy.
The Vice-President’s Secretariat announcement says the vessel has more than 75% indigenous content and will support trials of next-generation weapons, sensors and unmanned systems.
More than a trials platform
The stated roles include maritime surveillance, offshore patrol, launching and recovering targets, unmanned-system operations and humanitarian assistance. The common purpose is flexibility: one platform can support several tasks that do not all require a dedicated frontline combat ship.
A Defence Ministry briefing issued before commissioning identifies Larsen & Toubro as the builder and also lists potential conversion for limited hospital support and salvage work.
What commissioning establishes
Commissioning marks the ship’s formal entry into naval service. It should not be confused with confirmation that every future weapon or unmanned system tested aboard has already been cleared for operational deployment.
For a trials vessel, subsequent equipment evaluations and operational assignments will show how the announced roles translate into service. The public announcements do not provide a detailed schedule for those trials.
Photo: Ministry of Defence / PIB, published October 13, 2026. File photograph of Samarthak from the pre-commissioning announcement, not the October 16 ceremony. PIB reuse policy.
The National Desk covers India's politics, governance, security and public-interest news. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
