NEW DELHI: Indian Navy on Monday commissioned INS Mahe, the primary vessel of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), marking a significant milestone in India’s coastal protection and indigenous shipbuilding functionality. The ceremony came about on the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.Military Chief Basic Upendra Dwivedi, who presided over the commissioning, mentioned, “Bravo salute to the commanding officer, officers and males of Mahe. It is a second of immense satisfaction to witness the commissioning of the primary of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts constructed by Cochin Shipyard.”
“This marks our nation’s growing functionality to design, assemble and area complicated combatants with indigenous expertise,” he added.INS Mahe, delivered to the Navy on 23 October 2025, is designed for high-tempo ASW missions, coastal patrol, underwater surveillance, and mine-laying in shallow and constrained waters the place bigger ships can not function successfully. With its compact 78-metre body and displacement of round 1,100 tonnes, it combines pace, stealth, and excessive agility for frontline coastal defence.
Indigenous expertise on the core
Greater than 80% of the ship’s elements are Indian-built, reflecting robust collaboration between naval designers, Cochin Shipyard Restricted (CSL), and home protection producers. Key indigenous techniques embrace:
- Propulsion and energy administration techniques
- Built-in fight administration suite
- Medium-frequency hull-mounted sonar
- Multi-function surveillance radar
- Torpedo and ASW rocket techniques
Fight energy constructed for India’s littorals
INS Mahe options next-generation detection and engagement techniques tailor-made for shallow-water ASW operations. Its sensors embrace an indigenous medium-frequency hull-mounted sonar, a multi-function surveillance radar, and an Digital Assist Measures (ESM) and EW suite.The ship’s weapons package deal consists of light-weight acoustic-homing torpedoes, multi-functional ASW rocket launchers, an non-compulsory 30mm Distant Weapon Station for self-defense, and mine-laying rails for coastal mine patterns.It delivers a high pace of 25 knots, a spread of 1,800 nautical miles at cruising pace, and 14 days of endurance. Its shallow draft, below 3 meters, permits efficient operations near the shoreline.
Why ‘Mahe’?
INS Mahe is called after the historic coastal city of Mahe on the Malabar Coast. Its crest options the Urumi, a versatile sword from Kalarippayattu, symbolizing agility, precision, and fluid lethality.INS Mahe is the primary of eight ships within the class being constructed by CSL, with the remaining seven scheduled for supply by 2027. As soon as totally inducted, the Mahe-class will change the Navy’s older Abhay-class corvettes, strengthening the anti-submarine warfare grid alongside the shoreline and enhancing monitoring of underwater threats within the littoral zone. It’ll additionally improve monitoring of diesel-electric submarines working within the Indian Ocean.
Technical Annex: INS Mahe (ASW-SWC)
INS Mahe is constructed by Cochin Shipyard Restricted and measures 78 meters in size, displaces about 1,100 tonnes, has an 11-metre beam, and carries a crew of roughly 60.It makes use of twin-shaft diesel propulsion producing over 6 MW of energy, giving it a high pace of 25 knots, a spread of 1,800 nautical miles at 14 knots, and an endurance of 14 days.Its mission profile consists of littoral ASW dominance, coastal protection and surveillance, mine warfare, Low Depth Maritime Operations (LIMO), and safety of offshore belongings, ports, and choke factors.