ICG Begins Indigenous Hovercraft Construction to Boost Maritime Ops

In a landmark development for India’s maritime security infrastructure, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) commenced construction of its first indigenously built Air Cushion Vehicle (ACV) with the Girder Laying and Commencement of Erection Ceremony held on July 30, 2025, at the facilities of Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd. in Goa. This momentous event symbolizes a key step forward in India’s pursuit of a self-reliant and technologically advanced coastal defense ecosystem under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Bridging Capability Gaps with Indigenous Innovation

The new generation of ACVs, also known as hovercraft, is being developed based on proven Griffon Hoverwork designs, known globally for their reliability and performance. While these platforms are of foreign origin, the construction and customization are being led by Indian shipbuilding and design expertise, making them suitable for India’s unique maritime terrain and security needs.

Hovercrafts offer unique shallow-water capabilities, giving them an operational edge in estuaries, marshes, river deltas, and beach landings, where traditional boats and ships cannot operate effectively. This enables swift deployment for missions such as surveillance patrols, anti-smuggling operations, maritime interdiction, humanitarian response, and search and rescue.

Strategic Induction Aligned with Aatmanirbhar Bharat

The current construction follows a contract signed on October 24, 2024, between the Ministry of Defence and Chowgule & Company Pvt. Ltd., for the supply of six ACVs to the Indian Coast Guard. The project underscores India’s broader vision for defense indigenization and is part of a sustained effort to enhance self-reliance in maritime operational platforms.

Speaking at the ceremony, Inspector General Sudhir Sahni, Deputy Director General (Materiel & Maintenance) of the ICG, emphasized the strategic importance of the project, stating that these indigenous platforms will be critical in transforming India’s coastal and offshore response capabilities. “With these vessels, the Coast Guard will gain increased mobility and operational readiness across the entire stretch of India’s 7,500 km-long coastline and its island territories,” he noted.

Enhancing Tactical Flexibility and Response Time

The upcoming ACVs are engineered for high-speed, high-agility maneuvers, ideal for quick-reaction missions. Capable of operating in less than 20 cm of water, these hovercraft can seamlessly transition between water and land, allowing access to hard-to-reach coastal zones. This flexibility is crucial in time-sensitive operations, including:

• Intercepting fast boats involved in smuggling or infiltration

• Reaching stranded vessels or disaster-hit zones

• Evacuating civilians during coastal emergencies

• Rapid deployment of response teams to islands or shallow bays

Moreover, the hovercraft will be equipped with advanced navigation systems, communication suites, and thermal imaging for nighttime operations, making them all-weather platforms capable of operating in diverse scenarios.

Boosting Coastal Security Amid Growing Maritime Challenges

India’s maritime frontier spans several strategic chokepoints, busy shipping lanes, and ecologically sensitive regions. In light of increasing maritime traffic, piracy threats, illicit trade, and transnational crimes, rapid-response hovercraft units will act as force multipliers for the ICG.

The induction of these ACVs complements broader capacity-building measures such as:

• The expansion of coastal radar networks

• Integration of artificial intelligence and data analytics into surveillance

• Establishment of forward operating bases and infrastructure on islands

• Joint maritime domain awareness efforts with the Indian Navy and neighboring countries

Aatmanirbhar Shipbuilding: A Model for Public-Private Collaboration

The partnership between the Ministry of Defence and Chowgule & Company demonstrates the strength of India’s public-private collaboration in defense production. With decades of experience in shipbuilding and repair, Chowgule brings to the table both industrial scale and precision manufacturing required for hovercraft construction.

This project is expected to also generate skilled employment in Goa and provide a technological uplift to local marine manufacturing ecosystems. In alignment with the government’s Make in India initiative, the project involves local sourcing of critical sub-systems, furthering India’s defense manufacturing self-sufficiency.

Looking Ahead: Deployment and Operationalization

As the first of six ACVs takes shape, officials anticipate trial runs and initial delivery phases to begin by mid-2026, subject to sea-worthiness certification and operational evaluation. Once inducted, the hovercraft will be stationed across high-priority coastal regions including:

• The Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat in Gujarat

• The Sundarbans delta in West Bengal

• Shallow water zones in Tamil Nadu and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands

These hovercraft will augment existing ICG fleets, ensuring faster response times and operational depth in the “last-mile” of India’s maritime security grid.

With the launch of indigenous hovercraft construction, India takes a definitive step toward next-generation coastal defense capabilities, built on speed, agility, and indigenous excellence. The initiative marks not only a milestone in shipbuilding but also a reaffirmation of India’s resolve to protect its vast maritime interests with self-reliant strength.