VESSEL REVIEW | INS Samarthak – Multi-purpose support vessel and trial platform delivered to Indian Navy
India's Larsen and Toubro (L&T) delivered INS Samarthak (“Supporter”), the first of two multi-purpose vessels (MPV) ordered by the Indian Navy, at its Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai on August 27, 2026.
India's Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced the handover the same day and described the ship as the navy's first indigenous MPV, with more than 75 per cent indigenous content.
The vessel is the lead ship of a two-vessel contract signed between the ministry and L&T on March 25, 2022. Its sister, the future INS Utkarsh, was launched in January 2025 and is in testing and sea trials ahead of handover.
The project was awarded as a "Buy (Indian)" contract valued at approximately INR8.98 billion (US$93.9 million), and Samarthak had originally been scheduled for delivery in May 2025 before the timeline was revised.
Also outfitted for patrols and emergency response
The vessel's primary role is to support other naval programmes. The MOD has described Samarthak as a trial and evaluation platform, with secondary tasking in reconnaissance and surveillance at sea, offshore patrols and assistance during humanitarian and disaster relief (HADR) operations.
The 2024 launch release listed the class's core functions as towing ships, launching and recovering targets, operating uncrewed autonomous vehicles and acting as a trial platform for indigenous weapons and sensors under development.
An official who has been involved with the MPV project from its inception set out the rationale in an interview with WION: "India has been ramping up indigenous design and development of naval weapons and systems, with the aim of reducing imports and boosting homegrown capabilities. [The] MPV is meant to serve as a platform where the indigenously designed and developed weapons and systems can be tested in real-world conditions that we encounter at sea. In a plug-and-play manner, different types of weaponry and sensors can be tested on this platform."
That plug-and-play requirement explains much of the ship's configuration. Rather than a fixed combat system optimised for one mission, the vessel is fitted to accept and exercise a variety of weapons and sensors, then support the target launches, torpedo recoveries and unmanned vehicle operations needed to evaluate them.
The ships each have a length of 107 metres (351 feet) and a beam of 18.6 metres (61 feet). The displacement is more than 3,750 tonnes, and the maximum speed is 15 knots, while the range is reported at 4,500 nautical miles. Accommodation is provided for more than 100 sailors.
Propulsion is reported to be provided by two Cummins QSK95 diesel engines. The ship has a dynamic positioning system for holding station and manoeuvring precisely during complex evolutions, a capability relevant to target and torpedo recovery, working with unmanned vehicles alongside and salvage tasks.
A 15-knot top speed is consistent with an auxiliary role. The ship is designed to reach a test area, hold position, run a trial serial and recover the hardware afterwards.
Aviation facilities are reported to be suitable for an HAL Dhruv or a similar utility helicopter, giving the ship the ability to support aerial target work, personnel transfer and HADR lift from the deck.
Armament to be used primarily for testing and evaluation purposes
Industry reports list the armament as comprising a 76mm naval gun, 30mm autocannons, 12.7mm machine guns, a launcher for 213mm anti-submarine rockets, along with 324mm triple and 533mm twin torpedo launchers and an electronic warfare suite.
The torpedo fit is unusual for a support vessel and is best understood in the context of the ship's testing role. Two tube calibres, 324mm for lightweight and 533mm for heavyweight weapons, allow the ship to fire both classes of torpedo under development for the fleet and then recover them, a task supported by the dynamic positioning system and reported torpedo retrieval capability.
The 213mm rocket launcher and the gun mounts serve the same purpose for anti-submarine rocket and gunnery trials, and also let the ship generate live-fire training serials for other units.
Target work is a second core function. The class can put surface, aerial and underwater targets into operation and retrieve them, supporting fleet gunnery and anti-submarine warfare drills. It can also deploy and operate autonomous, remote-controlled and unmanned surface and aerial vehicles, an area where the Indian Navy has been expanding indigenous development and where a dedicated mothership shortens the path from prototype to sea trial.
Dedicated test and support platform to free up warships for frontline duties
Beyond trials, the vessel carries a set of general-purpose capabilities that reflect its multi-purpose designation. It can tow other ships, and L&T lists sea-pollution response among its roles, as well as salvage and heavy-lift capability along with support for interceptor and salvage vessel operations. Limited hospital facilities are available aboard the ship, which can also carry out logistics runs to India's remote island territories, which sit at the centre of its HADR tasking.
"Samarthak is not limited to one specific task but is engineered to support a wide spectrum of activities, thereby embodying the concept of a multi-purpose vessel," the MOD said in its delivery statement.
Samarthak was launched at Kattupalli on October 14, 2024; sister ship Utkarsh followed within three months.
Design engineering for both MPVs was carried out at L&T's Warship Design Centre in Chennai, with construction at Kattupalli.
The delivery gives the Indian Navy a purpose-built alternative to using frontline warships as testbeds. Weapons and sensors emerging from domestic development programmes can be fitted, fired and recovered from a hull designed around that cycle, while the same ship remains available for towing, island logistics and disaster relief when the trial calendar allows.
Utkarsh is expected to enter into service after completing her own sea trials.
