Navy to commission up to 10 warships by December, led by first ASW Shallow-Water Craft ‘Arnala'
This would significantly bolster India's naval fleet and most of the ships to be commissioned have been made indigenously, officials said.
According to the Navy, the commissioning programme includes the ASW-SWC class of ships, beginning with ASW-SWC Arnala on 18 June at Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam. Officials told The Indian Express that one or two more ASW-SWC vessels are also expected to be commissioned this year.
The Navy said that Arnala's commissioning will mark the formal induction of the first of sixteen ASW-SWC ships into the Indian Navy. These vessels have been designed and constructed by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, under a Public–Private Partnership with L&T Shipbuilders.
Named after the historic Arnala Fort in Vasai, Maharashtra, Arnala is equipped for a range of anti-submarine warfare operations, including subsurface surveillance, search-and-rescue missions, and low-intensity maritime tasks.
At 77.6 m in length and over 1,490 gross tonnes, Arnala is the largest Indian naval warship to be propelled by a diesel-engine–waterjet combination, the Navy said.
INS Tamal, the second Talwar-class stealth frigate under a 2016 Indo-Russian agreement, is set to be commissioned by the end of this month. Tamal is one of four frigates acquired in a $2.5 billion deal with Russia: two were constructed in Russia, and two at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) with Russian technology transfer. Its sister ship, INS Tushil, was commissioned in December 2024 at Russia's Yantar Shipyard and reached India in February 2025.
Other vessels awaiting induction include a diving support ship under construction at Hindustan Shipyard Limited; at least one Project 17A (Nilgiri-class) frigate, being built jointly by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and GRSE; and a large survey vessel from GRSE. A second Nilgiri-class frigate may also be commissioned before year-end, an official said.
INS Vagsheer, the sixth Kalvari-class submarine under Project 75, was commissioned in January 2025. This diesel-electric submarine operates underwater on battery power and on the surface using diesel engines, offering silent patrol capability close to the coast.
Staff evaluation and cost negotiations for Project 75I—which will build six advanced conventional attack submarines—are currently under way.
The Navy is also due to receive two more MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the United States within a month. Of the 24 ordered, 13 have been delivered so far.
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