Androth, photographed on the day of her launch.
| |
Class overview | |
---|---|
Name | Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) |
Builders |
|
Operators | Indian Navy |
Preceded by | Abhay-class corvettes[1] |
Succeeded by | Next Generation Missile Vessels |
Cost | |
Planned | 16 |
Building | 15 |
Active | 0 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Corvette |
Displacement | |
Length | |
Beam | |
Draught | GRSE : 2.7 metres (8.9 ft)[3] |
Propulsion | Water-jet propulsion[6] |
Speed | 25 knots (46 km/h) [10] |
Range | 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) (at 14 knots (26 km/h)[3] |
Complement | 57 (7 officers + 50 sailors) |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
Notes | Largest waterjet-powered vessels in the Indian Navy.[10] |
The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes, are a class of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels currently being built for the Indian Navy, by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).[1] They were conceived as a replacement to the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy, and are designed to undertake ASW duties – including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters, search-and-attack unit (SAU) missions and coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations with naval aircraft.[11] They were also designed to provide secondary duties – including defense against intruding aircraft, minelaying and search-and-rescue (SAR).[12]
Equipped with sophisticated sensors and ordnance, the vessels also possess the capabilities to interdict and destroy subsurface targets – primarily hostile submarines, within the vicinity of coastal waters.[11] A total of 16 vessels are being built for the Indian Navy, jointly by CSL and GRSE under the Make in India initiative.[3] The Indian Navy plans to have all 16 vessels in active service by 2026.[3]
In December 2013, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) –- the main acquisition panel subordinate to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the procurement of sixteen anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels capable of operating in shallow waters, at a cost of ₹13,440 crore, to replace the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy – which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991.[13][14]
In June 2014, the MoD issued a tender, worth USD2.25 billion under the 'Buy and Make India' category to private-shipyards – including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering (R-Naval), Goa Shipyard (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), for the procurement of the 16 anti-submarine vessels.[15]
In October 2017, Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) emerged as the first and the second-lowest bidder in the tender, respectively.[16]
On 29 April 2019, the MoD and GRSE signed a contract valued at ₹6,311 crore (US$790 million) for eight anti-submarine vessels, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026.[17] The contract stipulated that the first vessel had to be delivered within 42 months of the date of signing, with the remaining seven vessels delivered at regular intervals.[18][19]
On 30 April 2019, the MoD and CSL signed a similar contract, valued at ₹6,311 crore (US$790 million) for the construction of the remaining eight vessels – within a deadline of 84 months.[20] Under this contract, the first ship was also expected to be delivered within a span of 42 months, with subsequent deliveries of two ships per year.[21][22]
On 1 December 2020, CSL initiated the project's construction, with the steel-cutting of the first ASW-SWC vessel, Mahe (BY 523) at Kochi.[23]
On 31 December 2020, GRSE initiated the construction of the stipulated vessels under its agreement, with the steel-cutting ceremony of the first of the eight vessels it had been assigned with, at L&T's shipyard at Kattupalli, near Chennai.[24][25]
In July 2021, GRSE initiated the construction of two more vessels under its contract, with their respective steel-cutting ceremonies, while the keel of the first vessels (which had begun construction in December, 2020) was laid on 6 August 2021.[26]
CSL initiated the steel-cutting of the fourth and fifth vessels of the series, on 1 December 2021.[27]
Under the contract for the construction of the 16 vessels, the two shipyards contracted by the Indian Navy – Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), will respectively build eight vessels of their own, respective designs.[1]
The first eight vessels assigned to GRSE were designed entirely by GRSE's in-house design team, while the remaining eight vessels assigned to CSL were developed by a joint venture – consisting of CSL, Smart Engineering & Design Solutions (India) Ltd. (SEDS) and DA-Group subsidiary Surma Ltd.[28][1]
The ASW-SWC vessels are the biggest vessels of the Indian Navy to be powered by water-jet propulsion; the vessels' water-jet propulsion system allows the vessel to sprint swiftly for short intervals.[1] The vessels are also reported to possess several features of stealth – including a reduced radar cross-section (RCS), a low acoustic signature and a low infrared signature.[29]
The ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with one RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher and two sets of light-weight torpedo-tube launchers for launching anti-submarine torpedoes, (presumably the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT)), for neutralizing enemy submarines.[6] The vessels are also equipped with mine rails, which enables the vessel to lay anti-submarine mines along the seabed.[1]
Aside from its primary anti-submarine weaponry, the vessels are also equipped with one small-calibre cannon (presumably the CRN-91 30 mm naval gun and two 12.7 mm M2 "Stabilised Remote Controlled Gun" remote-weapon stations (RWS), equipped with optronic control systems.[1]
For detecting and intercepting hostile submarines, the ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with sophisticated sonar equipment, including a hull-mounted sonar (HMS) and towed low-frequency variable-depth sonar (LFVDS).[1]
Being vessels primed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the ASW-SWC vessels were conceived to undertake multiple missions, including "search-and-attack-unit" (SAU) roles, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), subsurface surveillance in littoral-waters and coordinated ASW operations with maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA).[1] In addition, the vessels also possess the capability to interdict and destroy subsurface targets, within the vicinity coastal waters.[30] The vessels can also be deployed for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in littoral waters.[31]
In their secondary role, the vessels will be able to lay mines, to protect domains of crucial importance, such as naval bases and commercial ports, from enemy submarines.[32]
Name | Pennant | Yard No | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Delivery | Commissioning | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indian Navy | ||||||||
Mahe class | ||||||||
Mahe | 523 | Cochin Shipyard | 30 August 2022[33] | 30 November 2023 [34][35] | November 2024 (expected)[36] | Launched | ||
Malwan | 524 | 21 February 2023[37] | ||||||
Mangrol | 525 | |||||||
Malpe | 526 | 8 December 2023[38] | Under Construction[39][27] | |||||
Mulki | 527 | |||||||
528 | ||||||||
529 | ||||||||
530 | ||||||||
Arnala class | ||||||||
Arnala | P68 | 3029 | GRSE | 6 August 2021[40] | 20 December 2022[41] | December 2023 (Planned)[42] | Launched | |
Anjadip | P73 | 3030 | 17 June 2022 [43] | 13 June 2023[42] | ||||
Amini | P75 | 3031 | 16 November 2023[44] | |||||
3032 | 13 June 2023[42] | Under Construction | ||||||
3033 | 31 December 2022 [45] | |||||||
3034 | ||||||||
Androth | P69 | 3035 | 21 December 2021[46] | 21 March 2023[47] | Launched | |||
3036 | 31 December 2022 [45] | Under Construction |