INS Arnala Commissioned: India’s First ASW Shallow Water Craft Enhances Coastal Defence
• Date: June 18, 2025
• Location: Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam
• Commissioned by: Chief of Defence Staff, General Anil Chauhan
• Inducted into: Eastern Naval Command
Key Highlights:
• INS Arnala is the first of 16 ASW-SWC vessels—specialised light corvettes—designed to counter submarine threats, UUVs, and midget submarines in shallow and littoral waters.
• Part of a Make-in-India programme, with 80% indigenous content.
• Designed and built by GRSE in partnership with L&T Kattupalli, under a Public-Private Partnership—a first for Indian shipbuilding.
• Named after Arnala Fort (Maharashtra), it marks a generational leap in India’s shallow water anti-submarine capability.
Sensors & Electronics:
• Sonars:
• ABHAY hull-mounted sonar – DRDO’s NPOL + BEL
• Towed Low-Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS) – CFF Fluid Control Ltd. (India) + Atlas Elektronik (Germany)
• UWACS – underwater acoustic communication with subs/surface platforms
Electronic Warfare (EW):
• R-ESM and C-ESM/COMINT systems
• Navigation: Dual navigation radars
Combat Systems:
• Combat Management System (CMS)
• Integrated Bridge System (IBS)
• Integrated ASW Complex (IAC) – by BEL + DRDO
Mission Capabilities:
• Primary role: Anti-submarine warfare in shallow/littoral waters
Other operations:
• Sub-surface surveillance and interdiction
• Mine laying
• SAR and Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO)
• Coordinated ASW with aircraft
Stealth:
• Reduced Radar Cross Section (RCS)
• Low acoustic and infrared signatures
Strategic Importance:
• Replaces ageing Abhay-class corvettes (1989–1991)
• Enhances India's coastal defence, indigenous shipbuilding, and Atmanirbharta in defence
• Symbolizes modernisation aligned with Viksit Bharat @2047.