Armed with torpedoes, sonar and rockets: Navy inducts submarine hunter INS Mangrol

INS Mangrol has been commissioned in the Indian Navy and will be important for coastal security. (Image credit: IN)

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy has commissioned its third Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), INS Mangrol, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, the vessel is meant to detect and counter submarine threats in coastal and shallow waters, where larger warships face operational limits.

With more than 80% indigenous content, it also reflects the growing maturity of domestic warship construction.The ship is named after the coastal town of Mangrol in Gujarat's Junagadh district, an important minor port for the marine fishing industry. It carries forward the name of the earlier INS Mangrol, a minesweeper that served the Navy from 1983 until April 2004. Mangrol is the third of eight Mahe-class vessels being built by Cochin Shipyard, following the commissioning of Mahe and Malvan.The new vessel displaces about 900 tonnes and is powered by three diesel engines coupled to waterjets, which give it high manoeuvrability in shallow waters. It carries the Abhay hull-mounted sonar, lightweight torpedoes, an indigenous anti-submarine rocket launcher and the Maareech Advanced Torpedo Decoy System. Its roles include anti-submarine warfare, underwater surveillance, mine warfare and low-intensity maritime operations, and it can work alongside maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and other warships.

The class has a displacement of 896 to 1,100 tonnes, a length of 78 metres, a beam of 11.36 metres and a draught of 2.7 metres. It can reach 25 knots (46 kmph) and has a range of 1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) at 14 knots (26 kmph), with an endurance of 14 days. The weapons suite reflects its primary mission, with a forward-mounted RBU-6000 rocket launcher, triple 324 mm torpedo tubes on each side armed with Advanced Light-Weight Torpedoes (ALWT), and rails for anti-submarine mines.

For defence, the ships carry torpedo decoy launchers supplied by Mahindra Defence Systems as part of an integrated anti-submarine defence suite. A 30 mm naval gun and two 12.7 mm stabilised remote-controlled guns provide surface warfare capability, allowing the ships to operate independently in contested littoral zones. Stealth features include reduced radar, acoustic and infrared signatures.Mangrol is part of a larger programme to strengthen India's ability to counter underwater threats in littoral waters.

In all, 16 vessels in two classes are being built: eight Arnala-class ships by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and eight Mahe-class ships by CSL. The ships are tailored for subsurface surveillance, search-and-attack missions and coordinated operations with naval aircraft, with secondary roles in minelaying and search and rescue.

Their induction is expected to improve the protection of ports, harbours and maritime approaches.The programme has drawn on domestic suppliers, including Bharat Electronics, Mahindra Defence and Larsen & Toubro. The final hull of the 16-ship project is expected to be delivered by June 2028.