The Hellenic Navy has taken delivery of a new frigate while construction continues on two patrol vessels for Finland's navy and border guard. The Indian Ministry of Defence has placed orders for eight corvettes. Lastly, a Pennsylvania yard has been selected to build a new medium landing ship for the US Navy.
India's Ministry of Defence signed contracts worth INR538.67 billion ($5.69 billion) in New Delhi on Monday, November 2, for eight next-generation corvettes (NGCs) for the Indian Navy.
Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) will build five of the ships and Goa Shipyard (GSL) three, to an indigenous design supplied by the navy. The ministry said this is its first project to pair navy-designed warships with construction by defence public sector undertakings chosen through competition.
In a regulatory disclosure, GRSE valued its five-ship order at INR320 billion. The order is to be completed within nine years and four months of the first-stage payment. GRSE emerged as the lowest bidder for the programme in 2025.
The ministry said the corvettes will be assigned missions for anti-surface operations and warfare against submarines, alongside coastal defence, littoral combat, surveillance and keeping maritime trade routes safe.
TOTE Services has selected Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) to build one US Navy medium landing ship (LSM) at Hanwha Philly Shipyard under a US$269 million contract announced on Friday, October 30.
The award also includes the options for the construction of three additional LSMs.
TOTE Services said it had secured build positions that allow construction to begin in the fourth quarter of 2027.
TOTE Services invited qualified US shipyards to compete in a request for proposals in July, and HDUSA was the first shipbuilder chosen. TOTE Services said HDUSA's pricing was competitive and that it accepted the subcontract terms and conditions.
TOTE Services is the vessel construction manager (VCM) for the programme under a US$2.2 billion prime contract.
Naval Group delivered HS Nearchos, the Hellenic Navy's second FDI HN defence and intervention frigate, at Lorient in France on Friday, October 30.
The delivery comes 10 months after that of lead ship Kimon in December 2025. Naval Group said the third frigate, Formion, will be delivered at the end of 2026. Formion began sea trials in June.
Nearchos was launched in September 2024 and started sea trials in February 2026.
Greece signed contracts for three frigates in 2022, with an option for a fourth. It ordered the fourth vessel in November 2025.
Finnish shipbuilder Rauma Marine Constructions (RMC) launched the third of four Pohjanmaa-class multipurpose corvettes for the Finnish Navy at its Rauma shipyard on Thursday, October 29.
Outfitting of the new vessel will continue following the launch. The first two corvettes, the second of which was floated out in May, are also in outfitting. The fourth ship had its keel laid in August.
The corvettes are being built under the Squadron 2020 programme for the Finnish Defence Forces Logistics Command. RMC said the overlapping series production has allowed experience from each vessel to be applied to the next.
At the second launch in May, RMC CEO Mika Nieminen said hull construction had progressed well but conceded that "the integration of systems as well electrical engineering works have proven very challenging."
The Finnish Border Guard officially named Valpas, the second of its two new Meyer Turku-built multipurpose offshore patrol vessels (OPV) at the Uusikaupunki shipyard in Finland on Friday, October 30.
The Finnish Border Guard said Valpas will be completed by the end of 2027, while lead ship Karhu will be completed in summer 2027.
Meyer Turku's original contractual schedule, published when the lead vessel's keel was laid in March 2024, called for completion of the first ship at the end of 2025 and the second at the end of 2026.
At the time of Karhu's christening in August 2025, the shipbuilder said delivery would take place in winter 2026.