Indian Navy to commission its first anti-marine war shallow water ship this month
According to the Ministry of Defense, the Indian Navy will commission its first anti-Naval War shallow Water Crafts (ASW-SWC) on a naval custodial ship of Andhra Pradesh on June 18, which will be called “Arnala” next month. The ceremony will be presided over by Chief of Defense Staff Anil Chauhan. The event will mark the official selection of 16 ASW-SWC class vessels into the Navy.
Its scheduled commissioning will mark a moment of change in the country’s naval capabilities.
What is an Arnala ship?
Arnala is designed and built by a public-private partnership with L&T Shipyard and is designed and built by Garden Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) at its Kolkata headquarters. It is a 77-meter-long warship with a gross tonnage record of over 1,490 tons, making it the largest Indian Navy warship driven by diesel-machine-drink-beverage jet combine.
The project is in line with the central government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and aims to promote the defence manufacturing industry.
Arnala was sent to the Indian Navy on May 8, 2025.
The origin of the name Arnala and so on…
Arnala is named after the historic Arnala fortress in Vasai, Maharashtra, about 13 km north of Vasa.
The fortress was built by the Marathon in 1737 under the leadership of Chimaji Appa, and the fortress was strategically responsible for overseeing the mouth of the Vaitarna River, acting as a sentinel among the sentinels on the northern Konkan coast, the statement added.
According to the official statement, the ship is intended to have a powerful presence at sea, just like a fortress that is contrary to various threats.
The ship was built to withstand a wide range of challenges associated with sea, containing more than four-fifths of Indigenous content.
Arnala integrates advanced systems from leading defense companies such as Bharat Electronics Ltd (Bel), Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Mahindra Defense and Meil.
Arnala Features
The vessel is designed for a range of ASW operations, allowing for underground surveillance, search and rescue missions, and low-intensity offshore operations.
