‘Amini’, the 4th of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Shallow-Water Craft (SWC) Project being built by M/s GRSE for Indian Navy was launched on 16 Nov 23 at M/s L&T, Kattupalli. The launch ceremony was presided over by VAdm Sandeep Naithani, Chief of Materiel. In keeping with maritime tradition, Mrs Manju Naithani launched the ship to the invocation from Atharva Veda. The ship has been named Amini to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Amini at Lakshadweep, located about 400 Km west of Kochi. The contract for building eight ASW SWC ships was signed between MoD and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata on 29 Apr 19.
The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes, are being built for the Indian Navy. The 77m long ASW SWC ships with a displacement of 900 tons have a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of approx 1,800 nautical miles. They were conceived as a replacement to the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy, and are designed to undertake ASW duties – including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters, search-and-attack unit (SAU) missions and coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations with naval aircraft. They were also designed to provide secondary duties – including defense against intruding aircraft, minelaying and search-and-rescue (SAR).
Equipped with sophisticated sensors and ordnance, the vessels also possess the capabilities to interdict and destroy subsurface targets – primarily hostile submarines, within the vicinity of coastal waters. A total of 16 vessels are being built for the Indian Navy, jointly by CSL and GRSE under the Make in India initiative. The Indian Navy plans to have all 16 vessels in active service by 2026. The Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, as also Low Intensity Maritime operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations.
The third ship of the class was launched on 13 Jun 23 at M/s L&T, Kattupalli. Launch of four ships of the same class within a year highlights our strides in indigenous shipbuilding, towards AatmaNirbhar Bharat. The first ship of the project is planned to be delivered in early 2024. The ASW SWC ships will have over 80% indigenous content, thereby ensuring that large scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and capability enhancement within the country. As per the build strategy, four ships are being built at GRSE, Kolkata and the balance of four ships sub-contracted to M/s L&T Shipbuilding, Kattupalli for hull and part outfitting.
