First India-Made Hovercraft: Construction Begins at Chowgule Shipyard; How They Will Help Coast Guard

As India moves towards increasing its defence production indigenously, the Indian Coast Guard has started the construction of first Made in India hovercraft. The Girder Laying and Commencement of Erection ceremony of ICG’s first indigenously built Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) was held on Wednesday (July 30) at Chowgule Shipyard.

Essentially amphibious crafts, hovercrafts are a type of vehicle that are supported above the surface of land or water by a cushion of air produced by downwardly directed fans. These ACVs might be used across several fields including military, disaster relief, coastguard, or even survey applications.

The development comes after a contract signed with the Ministry of Defence on October 24, 2024 for six ACVs, underscoring ICG’s drive towards operational self-reliance under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

First India-made hovercraft: What’s special about them?

Based on proven Griffon Hoverwork designs, the first indigenously made Air Cushion Vehicles are being made with Indian expertise to suit varied coastal security operations. The combination of high speed and hover height can make the travel quickly and directly to where users are needed.

Once they get inducted in the Indian Coast Guard fleet, the Made in India ACVs will provide enhanced speed, tactical flexibility, and shallow-water operability. This would enable swift response for patrolling, interdiction, and search and rescue missions across India’s vast maritime frontier.

How has the growth in India’s indigenous defence production been?

In the financial year 2024-25, the indigenous defence production zoomed to an all-time high of Rs 1.46 lakh crore, which was just Rs 43,000 crore around a decade ago. Our defence exports too increased to a record Rs 24,000 crore.

“Our defence production, which was only Rs 43,000 crore 10 to 11 years ago, has now crossed a record figure of Rs 1,46,000 crore, with the private sector’s contribution at over Rs 32,000 crore,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said. He added that the defence exports were around Rs 600-700 crore 10 years ago, but have now surpassed Rs 24,000 crore.

With this, he underlined how important the Centre’s Make in India initiative is for security and prosperity, stating that the use of indigenous systems during Operation Sindoor has proved that India has the power to penetrate any armour of the enemy.