Navy comparison: 
India vs 
Russia
India operates 228 warships compared to 279 for Russia. Counting auxiliaries, reserve and non-commissioned hulls, the fleets number 354 and 475.
SEAS (Sea Equipment Aggregate Strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
India
Russia
Bars: weighted contribution to the SEAS Index (hulls × category weight × size, era and propulsion factors, minor vessels capped at 30 % of the combatant points; the air-wing, sustainment, armament and availability multipliers apply on top) · figures: active hulls at each side's latest inventory year · Methodology
Key figures as of 2026
| India | Russia | Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official name | Indian Navy | Russian Navy | |
| Total ships | 354 | 475 | 🇷🇺 1.3× |
| Active ships | 354 | 456 | 🇷🇺 1.3× |
| On order / planned | 12 | 73 | 🇷🇺 6.1× |
| Submarines | 19 | 56 | 🇷🇺 2.9× |
| Principal surface combatants | 33 | 20 | 🇮🇳 1.6× |
| Aircraft carriers | 2 | 0 | 🇮🇳 |
| Amphibious ships | 5 | 17 | 🇷🇺 3.4× |
Show full breakdown · 5 more rowsHide the 5 extra rows
| Corvettes | 24 | 63 | 🇷🇺 2.6× |
| Patrol boats | 145 | 64 | 🇮🇳 2.3× |
| Mine warfare | 0 | 43 | 🇷🇺 |
| Coastal boats | 0 | 16 | 🇷🇺 |
| Auxiliaries | 126 | 177 | 🇷🇺 1.4× |
Backbone classes one per tier held
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Analyst Assessment
Verdict
Edge: Russia
Russia holds the overall edge, carried by a submarine force roughly three times the size of India's — including nuclear-powered boats — and a far deeper basing and shipbuilding base. India counters with the only carrier aviation in the pairing and a more balanced, younger surface escort force, giving it the advantage in sustained power projection at range.
Domain by domain
Submarines
Edge: Russia
🇮🇳 India19 boats, mostly conventional: 6 Kilo-class, Scorpene-derived and Shishumar types, plus a small nuclear-powered ballistic and attack element. Credible regional undersea force, limited numbers and modest sortie depth.
🇷🇺 Russia60 boats, the pairing's decisive mass: 10 Improved Kilo-class plus nuclear ballistic-missile, cruise-missile and attack classes, with Yasen and further Improved Kilo units on order. Global deterrent patrol capability.
Carriers & naval aviation
Edge: India
🇮🇳 IndiaTwo carriers, Vikramaditya-class plus an indigenous sister, operating MiG-29K fixed-wing air groups. Sole carrier aviation in this pairing and the core of India's blue-water task-group doctrine.
🇷🇺 RussiaNo operational carrier in the 2026 inventory; naval aviation is shore-based. Fleet air defence and strike rest on shipborne missiles rather than organic fixed-wing cover at range.
Surface combatants
Edge: India
🇮🇳 India33 principal combatants: 13 destroyers led by four Visakhapatnam-class, 20 frigates including 8 Talwar-class, 23 corvettes. Younger, more homogeneous fleet built around BrahMos-armed escorts.
🇷🇺 Russia20 principal combatants — 2 cruisers, 6 destroyers (Project 1155), 12 frigates including 3 Admiral Grigorovich-class — offset by 64 corvettes such as Grisha and Buyan; five Gorshkov frigates on order.
Coastal & mine warfare
Edge: Russia
🇮🇳 IndiaNo dedicated mine-warfare hulls on file; 144 patrol boats, largely small craft such as Solas Marine interceptors and Car Nicobar class, oriented to littoral policing rather than mine clearance.
🇷🇺 Russia44 mine-warfare vessels including 19 Sonya-class, 64 patrol boats and 16 coastal craft such as Project 1241.1 Molniya — a layered near-seas denial and clearance capability.
Shipbuilding & sustainment
Edge: Russia
🇮🇳 IndiaGrowing domestic yards delivering Visakhapatnam destroyers and carriers, but no orders recorded in this dataset and continued reliance on imported propulsion and sensors.
🇷🇺 Russia18 hulls on order across frigates, submarines, corvettes and auxiliaries, 96 support ships and 19 bases spanning four fleets; output constrained by sanctions and large-hull yard limits.
Wildcards
- Geographic dispersion penalty Russia's 19 bases are split across Northern, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific theatres with no free interchange between them. India's 15 bases face a single ocean, allowing concentration that raw hull counts understate.
- Sanctions and industrial depth Export controls constrain Russian access to marine diesels, electronics and large-hull construction, slowing the 18 planned units. India's yards are newer but depend on foreign propulsion and combat systems, exposing both to supply shocks.
- Sustainment and auxiliaries Both field large auxiliary fleets — 117 Indian and 96 Russian support ships — but readiness, not inventory, decides deployment. Long-cycle refits and ageing Soviet-era hulls disproportionately affect Russia's usable strength.
Analysis generated by a language model from the figures on this page and public sources; it is an informed reading, not a military assessment or a prediction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has more naval ships, India or Russia?
Russia has a larger navy with 279 warships in service compared to India's 228.
Which navy has more submarines, India or Russia?
Russia operates more submarines with 56 compared to India's 19.
Which country has more aircraft carriers, India or Russia?
India has 2 aircraft carrier(s) compared to Russia's 0.
Which navy has more destroyers, India or Russia?
India operates 13 destroyers compared to Russia's 6.
Which navy has more frigates, India or Russia?
India operates 20 frigates compared to Russia's 12.