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Journalism of Courage
This week, the Indian Navy commissioned INS Mahe, an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC). On its crest is Urumi, a flexible sword from the martial art form of Kalaripayattu.
A look at the strategic significance of these vessels and why the Navy is inducting a total of 16 of these versatile ships.
The Indian Navy Monday commissioned INS Mahe, the first of the indigenously designed and built Mahe-class ASW-SWC, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. Designed and constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, INS Mahe is the lead ship of eight vessels in her class.
At the commissioning ceremony, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi highlighted that the induction of the ship will significantly augment the Indian Navy’s capacity to ensure near-sea dominance, strengthen the coastal security grid, and safeguard India’s maritime interests across the littorals — the shallow and near-shore maritime zone that is strategically and economically critical.
The ship takes her name from the historic coastal town of Mahe on the Malabar Coast.
“The town’s maritime heritage and tranquil estuary mirror the ship’s balance of elegance and strength. The ship’s crest features the Urumi, the flexible sword of Kalaripayattu, rising from stylised blue waves — a symbol of agility, precision, and lethal grace. Her mascot, the Cheetah, embodies speed and focus, while the motto ‘Silent Hunters’ reflects the ship’s stealth, vigilance, and unyielding readiness,” the Indian Navy has said.
The project saw participation from industry partners including BEL, L&T Defence, Mahindra Defence Systems, NPOL and more than 20 MSMEs, and has over 80 percent indigenous content.
The CSL said that the Mahe-class has been designed and constructed as per the classification rules of Det Norske Veritas (DNV) — a leading global classification society that sets technical standards for ships and offshore structures. The ships in this class are the largest Indian Naval warships propelled by a diesel engine–waterjet combination. They are designed for underwater surveillance, search and rescue operations, and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO). The ship is capable of undertaking ASW operations in coastal waters, along with advanced mine-laying capabilities.
According to CSL, these vessels are 78 meters long and 11.36 meters wide, with a draught of about 2.7 meters. The displacement is about 896 tonnes, with a maximum speed of 25 knots and an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles.
The vessels are designed to fit indigenously developed, state-of-the-art SONARS for underwater surveillance. Fitted with advanced weapons, sensors, and communication systems enabling it to detect, track, and neutralise sub-surface threats with precision, the ship can sustain prolonged operations in shallow waters and features technologically advanced machinery and control systems.
The Indian Navy earlier operated the Abhay-class corvettes, which were customised variants of the Soviet-origin Pauk II-class corvettes. The four ships in the class played a key role in coastal patrol and anti-submarine warfare before being decommissioned between 2017 and October 2025.
In December 2013, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) gave a nod for the procurement of sixteen ASW vessels at a cost of over Rs 13,000 crore.
Contracts for 16 ASW-SWC were signed for construction of eight ships each from CSL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata. In view of India’s vast coastline of 7,516 km with 12 major ports, 184 minor ports, and 1,197 island territories, coastal surveillance for ASW operations is considered critical.
Induction of these specialised ships with lower draught is key to the shallow-water ASW capability of the Indian Navy, with improved performance of weapons, sensors, hull-mounted and towed-array sonars. Equipped with state-of-the-art indigenous Integrated Platform Management Systems, propulsion, and auxiliary systems, these ships are capable of subsurface surveillance of coastal waters and laying mines.
Among the total 16, the Arnala-class is being built by GRSE while the Mahe-class is being built by CSL. Arnala-class includes INS Arnala (commissioned in June), INS Androth (commissioned in October), and yet-to-be-commissioned Anjadeep, Amini, Abhay, Agray, Ajay, and Akshy.
The Mahe-class comprises the newly commissioned INS Mahe and the yet-to-be-commissioned Malval, Mangrol, Malpe, Mulki, Magdala, and Machilipatnam. All these vessels are set to be commissioned in the coming 2–3 years.
Series of ASW-SWC inductions are bridging a longstanding operational gap by giving the Navy the crucial ability to detect and counter stealthy diesel-electric submarines operating close to the coastline, an area where larger surface combatants cannot manoeuvre effectively. Their low draught, advanced sonars, and high manoeuvrability make them essential for securing harbour approaches, sea-lanes leading to major ports, offshore energy assets, and operational bases — all vulnerable and economically vital maritime assets.
By strategically placing 16 such ships along the littorals, the Navy is creating a structured ASW protection wall that will strengthen coastal defence, free up major warships for blue-water tasks, and prevent an adversary’s ability to stage covert underwater intrusions. These would further strengthen the Indian Navy’s operational capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region.
The class also contributes to deterrence by posturing that India now has an indigenous and networked shallow-water ASW capability, integrated with coastal radar chains, underwater sensors, and maritime patrol aircraft for real-time threat assessment and response.
