India's Mega Naval Push After Operation Sindoor: ₹5,000 Crore Investment Boost to Build Modern Warships & Submarines

After flexing muscle in Operation Sindoor, India moves fast to supercharge its naval fleet with a massive ₹5,000 crore expansion. Here’s what’s coming for enemy waters.

In an important move to ramp up maritime firepower, India has approved a ₹4,000–₹5,000 crore investment to expand Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), a critical player in naval defense manufacturing. The decision follows the Indian Navy’s high-profile Operation Sindoor in the Arabian Sea, signaling a clear shift toward modernizing and enlarging the warship and submarine fleet to secure India’s strategic interests across the Indo-Pacific.

The planned expansion will transform MDL’s operational capacity. The Mumbai-based shipbuilder intends to reclaim 10 acres of marine space next to its current facility to develop two new construction facilities. These will allow simultaneous building and repair of large-scale naval fleets, including next-gen warships and advanced submarines.

The upgrade will double MDL’s current handling capability from 40,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes in the near term, with a target of reaching 2 lakh deadweight tonnes, thanks to the 37-acre land bank at Nhava Sheva which is already in MDL's possession. This aggressive capacity growth also aligns with the Indian Navy’s long-term vision of having a 175 Capital Ship Navy by 2047, with full indigenization in production.

The Ministry of Defense has green lit the expansion, stating it will ensure faster construction, upgrade, and maintenance cycles for India's naval arsenal. In line with this, MDL secured a 29-year lease on 15 acres from the Mumbai Port Authority last year, and construction activities have already begun at the site.

Currently, MDL is already operating at significant capacity, building 11 submarines and 10 warships simultaneously. The expansion aims to support two high-value submarine projects for the Indian Navy, valued at over ₹1.06 lakh crore, which will drastically improve India's undersea warfare capabilities in a volatile region.

While India is scaling up, it still lags behind China, which boasts the world's largest naval fleet with over 370 warships. But this latest move is being viewed as part of New Delhi’s strategic counterweight, focusing on indigenous strength and infrastructure modernization to close the gap.

Founded in 1774, MDL is one of India’s oldest and most iconic dockyards. Since being nationalized in 1960, it has delivered over 800 ships, including 31 capital warships and eight submarines, with 214 vessels exported to international clients.

Now, with this fresh mega investment, MDL is set to play a central role in India’s maritime dominance doctrine. The emphasis is not only on the numbers, but also on self-reliance, speed, and cutting-edge defense tech, positioning India to become an important blue-water navy in the coming decades.