Keel laying of eighth anti-submarine warfare ship held
The keel laying of the eighth anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship being built for the Indian Navy was held at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) by Vice Admiral Rajaram Swaminathan, Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition, on May 29, 2025.
Among those present were Madhu S. Nair, Chairman and Managing Director, CSL, and Rear Admiral Vishal Bishnoi, Assistant Controller of Warship Production and Acquisition.
The contract for building eight ASW ships was signed between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and CSL on 30 April 2019. The Mahe class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW corvettes of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, low-intensity maritime operations, mine-laying operations, and subsurface surveillance. The vessels are capable of a maximum speed of 25 knots and have an endurance of 1,800 nautical miles. They are fitted with indigenously developed, state-of-the-art sonars for underwater surveillance. This exemplifies India's capability to manufacture high-end, technology-intensive warships with a high indigenous content under the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' initiative.
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