Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) has successfully launched the eighth and final anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft (ASW SWC) for the Indian Navy, marking a significant milestone in India’s indigenous shipbuilding capabilities.
The latest vessel was named Ajay and launched in Kolkata, with Priya Deshmukh, spouse of Vice Admiral Kiran Deshmukh (Chief of Materiel, Indian Navy), serving as the chief guest at the ceremony. This launch concludes GRSE’s contract to supply eight ASW SWCs under a larger program to strengthen India’s maritime defence.
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The overall initiative, worth approximately ₹12,500 crore, involves two contracts—GRSE building eight ships for ₹6,311 crore and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) constructing another eight. The completed GRSE vessels are known as the Arnala-class, while CSL’s will be designated the Mahe-class.
These ASW SWCs are designed for versatility and coastal efficacy, featuring a low draught (just 2.7 metres), which enables effective operations in shallow waters along the Indian coastline—a crucial capability considering the unique hydrological challenges presented by the western and eastern coastal regions of India.
Measuring 77.6 metres in length and 10.5 metres in width, the ships can conduct a variety of missions, from full-scale sub-surface surveillance and anti-submarine warfare to low-intensity maritime operations and mine-laying. They are equipped with advanced anti-submarine weaponry, including lightweight torpedoes, ASW rockets, and mines, and can coordinate anti-submarine operations with aircraft, enhancing their tactical flexibility.
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The Arnala-class SWCs also utilise indigenous technologies, reflecting more than 80% local content, and represent a major step in achieving the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-Reliant India) vision in defence production.
Their induction will replace the Indian Navy’s aging Abhay-class corvettes, providing a modern and potent means to counter underwater threats, especially given increasing submarine activities in the Indian Ocean Region by adversarial navies. The vessels are built to Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) classification standards, further ensuring quality and operational durability.
The successful completion of this eight-ship project not only bolsters the Indian Navy’s shallow water anti-submarine warfare capabilities but also sets benchmarks for future indigenous warship construction—both in technical complexity and in collaborative public-private partnership models, as evidenced by GRSE’s work with Larsen & Toubro’s shipyard for these and other naval vessels.
Based On A PTI Report
Agencies
