NSTL releases roadmap for ship design development
Organises ship design workshop to promote self-reliance and to strengthen indigenous ship design ecosystem
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Visakhapatnam: Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), the premiere naval research laboratory of Defence Research & Development Organisation(DRDO) on Friday organised “Ship Design Workshop to Promote Self-Reliance and to Strengthen Indigenous Ship Design Ecosystem”, with the objective of strengthening India's indigenous ship design capabilities and fostering collaboration among stakeholders from the Indian Navy and defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs), private shipyards, classification societies, and academia.
The workshop featured technical sessions covering capabilities of NSTL in the field of hydrodynamics & stealth technologies, demonstration of facilities, high speed towing tank, seakeeping and maneuvering basin, cavitation tunnel, model manufacturing facility,
wind tunnel, stealth and environmental test facilities.
This workshop aimed at evolving a roadmap towards realisation of indigenous design of various types of commercial and military ships by involving all the stakeholders towards aligning set goals of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
The panel discussions with the focus to a comprehensive 'Roadmap for Collaborative Ship Design Development' was released during the event, identifying priority areas such as digital design frameworks, AI-driven performance prediction, and integrated testing infrastructure. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr RV Hara Prasad, Distinguished Scientist & Director General (Naval Systems & Materials), DRDO, in the presence of Rear Admiral Sujit Baxi, Director General (Warship Design Bureau); Dr Abraham Varughese, Outstanding Scientist & Director NSTL; Cmde (retd.) Girideep Singh, CMD Hindustan Shipyard Limited(HSL); Dr D Radha Krishna, Scientist ‘G’ & Group Director (Warship Technologies); Dr PC Praveen, Scientist ‘G’ & Technology Director (Hydrodynamics Research) and M Nageswara Rao, Scientist ‘F’, Chairman SDW-25.
The inaugural session was attended by senior officers from the Indian Navy, representatives from DPSUs, private shipyards, classification societies, design houses and academic & research institutions. In his inaugural address, Dr Hara Prasad highlighted the pivotal role of indigenous ship design and innovation in achieving Atma Nirbhar in naval systems.
He emphasised the need to integrate emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning (AI/ML) tools, Digital twin concepts, meta-materials, and advanced stealth design techniques into future ship design processes.
He also stressed the growing importance of green ship technologies, energy-efficient propulsion systems, and sustainable materials to align naval design with global environmental and operational standards.
The scientist stressed the collaborative efforts across design, testing, and validation domains to make India self-reliant and globally competitive in advanced ship design and hydrodynamic & stealth research.
Addressing the gathering, RAdm Sujit Baxi commended DG(NS&M) and Director NSTL for taking a milestone initiative in bringing together all key stakeholders of the national ship design ecosystem on a common platform. He appreciated DRDO's leadership in driving collaborative innovation and reaffirmed the Navy's commitment to strengthening indigenous design capabilities in partnership with DRDO, industry and academia.
