India’s push for self-reliance in defence manufacturing gained recent momentum because the Indian Navy formally inducted ‘Mahe’, the primary in a sequence of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), on Thursday, marking a major increase to its underwater fight capabilities.
Ceremonial Handover
The ship was formally handed over at a ceremony the place the acceptance paperwork have been signed between Mahe’s Commanding Officer-Designate, Commander Amit Chandra Choubey, and the Director Operations of Cochin Shipyard Restricted (CSL), Dr S. Harikrishnan.
The occasion was attended by senior naval officers, together with Western Naval Command’s Chief Employees Officer, Technical, Rear Admiral R. Adhisrinivasan, Superintendent, Warship Manufacturing, Kochi, Commodore Anup Menon, and different officers overseeing the Navy’s operational readiness and the vessel’s commissioning.
Design and Capabilities
Indigenously designed and constructed underneath classification requirements of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Mahe measures 78 metres in size and is the biggest Indian naval vessel powered by a diesel engine–waterjet propulsion system. This configuration enhances its pace, agility, and operational flexibility, permitting it to function effectively in shallow waters whereas finishing up surveillance and anti-submarine operations.
Engineered for a number of roles, Mahe is able to underwater surveillance, search and rescue operations, low-intensity maritime missions, and mine-laying. Geared up with fashionable sensors and superior communication programs, it can considerably increase the Navy’s coastal defence and anti-submarine warfare capabilities, guaranteeing swift, decisive motion within the Indian Ocean.
Aatma Nirbhar Bharat in Motion
Officers highlighted that Mahe embodies the federal government’s Aatma Nirbhar Bharat imaginative and prescient, with over 90 per cent indigenous content material. Most supplies, equipment, sensors, and onboard programs have been sourced from Indian producers, reflecting the maturity of the nation’s defence industrial base and the Navy’s dedication to self-reliance in undersea warfare.
Milestone in Indigenisation Drive
The supply of Mahe represents one other milestone within the Indian Navy’s indigenisation drive and strengthens its shallow-water fight fleet. The remaining seven vessels within the ASW SWC sequence are underneath building at CSL and are scheduled for phased supply over the approaching years.
(With IANS Inputs)