Visakhapatnam: The breaking of the commissioning pennant on the masthead of the INS Arnala with the last note of the National Anthem, at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam, on Wednesday, the Indian Navy got its first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC).
The INS Arnala, built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd, is the largest diesel engine-waterjet propelled warship to be inducted by the Indian Navy till now.
Gen Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was the chief guest at the occasion. Among the others present were Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command and Cmde P R Hari, IN (Retd), Chairman and Managing Director, GRSE.
The INS Arnala is first in a series of eight such ASW SWCs being built by GRSE for the Navy. The INS Arnala is special as it was for this warship that GRSE was awarded the Raksha Mantri’s Award 2022, for designing the ‘most silent ship’.
Commissioning of this warship will add a shot in the arm for the Indian Navy with respect to its Shallow Water ASW capabilities. It will add necessary punch to the Indian Navy’s capability to patrol coastal areas where enemy submarines could be lurking. The ship has been named after an island with a historic fort, off the Maharashtra Coast. It has over 80% indigenous content, underscoring GRSE’s commitment towards the Government of India’s Atmanirbharta and ‘Make in India’ policies.
Though smaller in size as compared to Anti-Submarine Warfare Corvettes of the Kamorta Class built and delivered to the Navy by GRSE earlier, the 77.6-metre-long and 10.5-metre-wide ASW SWCs pack a punch. They are capable of full-scale sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters as well as Search and Attack. They can also carry out coordinated anti-submarine operations with aircraft. These ships have Combat Management Systems on board and will be armed with lightweight torpedoes as well as anti-submarine warfare rockets. These ships will have a complement of 57 personnel, including seven officers.
With three water jets (fitted to marine diesel engines), the INS Arnala is extremely agile and maneuverable. A great advantage is that it requires a draught of only 2.7-metres, allowing it to access the coasts easily in search of sub-surface threats.
In his address, General Chauhan, congratulated GRSE, its CMD as well as its talented and committed workforce for delivering a capable and combat worthy asset to the nation. He expressed confidence that the ship, equipped with superior anti-submarine warfare and mine-laying capabilities, would play a crucial role in safeguarding India’s vast coastline. He noted that the carefully selected weapons and sensors would make the vessel a highly potent platform and a force enabler for effective fleet operations. As the first of its class, he remarked, its performance would set a benchmark for the subsequent ships in the series.
In his address during the occasion, Cmde Hari highlighted the shipyard’s expertise in building the most complex and technologically advanced warships for the Indian Navy.
GRSE is now building 16 more warships, including three P17A advanced stealth frigates, seven ASW SWCs, two Survey Vessels Large and four Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Navy. The shipyard has also emerged the lowest bidder for the Next Generation Corvettes that the Navy wants to acquire.
