Indian Navy To Commission New-Generation Submarine-Hunting Warship ‘Mahe’

The Indian Navy is set to commission Mahe, a new-generation Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on 24 November.

The vessel, designed to track and neutralise enemy submarines in shallow and coastal waters, will be the third ship of its class to enter service, following INS Arnala in June and INS Androth in October.

Mahe has been built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, and is part of a wider programme under which 16 such vessels are being constructed at a cost of nearly ₹13,000 crore. CSL and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) have been contracted to deliver eight ships each.

The ship has been developed with more than 80 per cent indigenous content and features systems supplied by major Indian defence firms, including Bharat Electronics Limited, L&T, Mahindra Defence and MEIL.

The project has also involved more than 55 micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), supporting local industry and related economic activity.

The warship is designed for missions such as detecting, tracking and prosecuting submarines operating close to the coast. It is fitted with advanced underwater sensors, including the hull-mounted Abhay sonar, a low-frequency sonar, and an underwater acoustic communication system, enabling comprehensive surveillance of the seabed and surrounding waters.

Mahe carries a modern weapons suite comprising lightweight torpedoes, rockets, anti-torpedo decoys and equipment for laying mines to counter underwater threats. The ship is 77.6 metres long and has a gross tonnage of over 1,490 tonnes.

Mahe is named after the historic town of Mahe on the Malabar Coast. The Navy describes the vessel as compact and agile, with a design focused on precision and endurance for operations in the littoral zone.

The ship’s crest features the traditional ‘Urumi’, a flexible Kalaripayattu sword symbolising agility and precise striking power.

Reference: PIB

Source: Maritime Shipping News