Androth, photographed on the day of her launch.
Class overview
Name	Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC)
Builders	Cochin Shipyard (CSL)[1] Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) (in partnership with Larsen & Toubro (L&T))[1]
Operators	Indian Navy
Preceded by	Kamorta-class by antecedence Abhay-class[2] by role
Succeeded by	Next Generation Missile Vessels
Cost	₹12,622 crore (equivalent to ₹150 billion or US$1.8 billion in 2023) for 16 ships (FY 2020) ₹789 crore (equivalent to ₹929 crore or US$110 million in 2023) per ship (FY 2020)
Built	2021-present
Planned	16
Building	16
Completed	10
Active	0
General characteristics
Type	Corvette
Displacement	GRSE :900 tons[3] CSL :700 tons[4]
Length	GRSE :77.6 metres (255 ft) [5] CSL :78 metres (256 ft)[6]
Beam	GRSE :10.5 metres (34 ft)[5] CSL :11.26 metres (36.9 ft)[6]
Draught	GRSE : 2.7 metres (8.9 ft)[5]
Propulsion	Water-jet propulsion[7]
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h) [8]
Range	1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) (at 14 knots (26 km/h)[5]
Complement	57 (7 officers + 50 sailors)
Sensors and processing systems	Combat Suite: ASW Combat Suite (presumably the DRDO-developed IAC MOD 'C' combat suite)[9][10] Sonar: DRDO Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS)[11] Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS)[9] Management Systems: Fire Control System (FCS)[2] Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS)[9] Automatic Power Management System (APMS)[9] Battle Damage Control System (BDCS)[9]
Armament	Anti-Submarine Warfare: 1 × RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher[2] 6 × Lightweight ASW Torpedo (presumably the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT))[7] Anti-submarine mines (launched from mine-laying rails)[2] Guns: 1 × CRN-91 30mm naval gun[8] 2 × OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun[2]
Notes	Largest waterjet-powered vessels in the Indian Navy.[8]

The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes, are a class of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels currently being built for the Indian Navy, by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).^[2] 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.^[12] They were also designed to provide secondary duties – including defense against intruding aircraft, minelaying and search-and-rescue (SAR).^[13]

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.^[12] A total of 16 vessels are being built for the Indian Navy, jointly by CSL and GRSE under the Make in India initiative.^[5] The Indian Navy plans to have all 16 vessels in active service by 2026.^[5]

In December 2013, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) –- the main acquisition panel subordinate to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the procurement of sixteen anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels capable of operating in shallow waters, at a cost of ₹13,440 crore (equivalent to ₹230 billion or US$2.7 billion in 2023), to replace the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy – which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991.^[14][15]

In June 2014, the MoD issued a tender, worth USD2.25 billion under the 'Buy and Make India' category to private-shipyards – including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering (R-Naval), Goa Shipyard (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), for the procurement of the 16 anti-submarine vessels.^[16]

In October 2017, Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) emerged as the first and the second-lowest bidder in the tender, respectively.^[17]

On 29 April 2019, the MoD and GRSE signed a contract valued at ₹6,311 crore (equivalent to ₹78 billion or US$940 million in 2023) for eight anti-submarine vessels, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026.^[18] The contract stipulated that the first vessel had to be delivered within 42 months of the date of signing, with the remaining seven vessels delivered at regular intervals.^[19][20]

On 30 April 2019, the MoD and CSL signed a similar contract, valued at ₹6,311 crore (equivalent to ₹78 billion or US$940 million in 2023) for the construction of the remaining eight vessels – within a deadline of 84 months.^[21] Under this contract, the first ship was also expected to be delivered within a span of 42 months, with subsequent deliveries of two ships per year.^[22][23]

On 1 December 2020, CSL initiated the project's construction, with the steel-cutting of the first ASW-SWC vessel, Mahe (BY 523) at Kochi.^[24]

On 31 December 2020, GRSE initiated the construction of the stipulated vessels under its agreement, with the steel-cutting ceremony of the first of the eight vessels it had been assigned with, at L&T's shipyard at Kattupalli, near Chennai.^[25][26]

In July 2021, GRSE initiated the construction of two more vessels under its contract, with their respective steel-cutting ceremonies, while the keel of the first vessels (which had begun construction in December, 2020) was laid on 6 August 2021.^[27]

CSL initiated the steel-cutting of the fourth and fifth vessels of the series, on 1 December 2021.^[28]

Under the contract for the construction of the 16 vessels, the two shipyards contracted by the Indian Navy – Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), will respectively build eight vessels of their own, respective designs.^[2]

The first eight vessels assigned to GRSE were designed entirely by GRSE's in-house design team, while the remaining eight vessels assigned to CSL were developed by a joint venture – consisting of CSL, Smart Engineering & Design Solutions (India) Ltd. (SEDS) and DA-Group subsidiary Surma Ltd.^[29][2]

The ASW-SWC vessels are the biggest vessels of the Indian Navy to be powered by water-jet propulsion; the vessels' water-jet propulsion system allows the vessel to sprint swiftly for short intervals.^[2] The vessels are also reported to possess several features of stealth – including a reduced radar cross-section (RCS), a low acoustic signature and a low infrared signature.^[30]

The ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with one RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher and two sets of light-weight torpedo-tube launchers for launching anti-submarine torpedoes, (presumably the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT)), for neutralizing enemy submarines.^[7] The vessels are also equipped with mine rails, which enables the vessel to lay anti-submarine mines along the seabed.^[2]

Aside from its primary anti-submarine weaponry, the vessels are also equipped with one small-calibre cannon (presumably the CRN-91 30 mm naval gun and two 12.7 mm M2 "Stabilised Remote Controlled Gun" remote-weapon stations (RWS), equipped with optronic control systems.^[2]

For detecting and intercepting hostile submarines, the ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with sophisticated sonar equipment, including a hull-mounted sonar (HMS) and towed low-frequency variable-depth sonar (LFVDS).^[2] The LFVDS system is being procured from a partnership firm formed by Indian CFF Fluid Control Ltd. and German Atlas Elektronik. The system will be manufactured in India and supplied to GRSE and CSL, the firms engaged in construction of the ships.^[31] The hull-mounted sonar is the Abhay system an advanced active-cum-passive integrated sonar system designed and developed by NPOL, DRDO and manufactured by BEL.^{[32][33][34][35]}

Being vessels primed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the ASW-SWC vessels were conceived to undertake multiple missions, including "search-and-attack-unit" (SAU) roles, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), subsurface surveillance in littoral-waters and coordinated ASW operations with maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA).^[2] In addition, the vessels also possess the capability to interdict and destroy subsurface targets, within the vicinity coastal waters.^[36] The vessels can also be deployed for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in littoral waters.^[37]

In their secondary role, the vessels will be able to lay mines, to protect domains of crucial importance, such as naval bases and commercial ports, from enemy submarines.^[38]

Name	Pennant	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Delivery	Commissioning	Status
Indian Navy
Mahe class
Mahe		523	Cochin Shipyard	30 August 2022[39]	30 November 2023 [40][41]	November 2024 (expected)[42]		Launched
Malwan		524		21 February 2023[43]
Mangrol		525
Malpe		526		8 December 2023[44]	09 September 2024[45]
Mulki		527
		528						Under Construction[46][28]
		529
		530
Arnala class
Arnala	P68	3029	GRSE	6 August 2021[47]	20 December 2022[48]	June 2024 (Planned)[49]		Undergoing harbour trials
Anjadip	P73	3030		17 June 2022 [50]	13 June 2023[51]			Launched
Amini	P75	3031			16 November 2023[52]
Abhay		3032		13 June 2023[51]	25 October 2024[53]
Agray	P36	3033		31 December 2022 [54]	13 March 2024[55]
		3034		10 May 2024[56]				Under Construction
Androth	P69	3035		21 December 2021[57]	21 March 2023[58]			Launched
Akshay	P35	3036		31 December 2022 [54]	13 March 2024[55]

• Future ships of the Indian Navy
• List of active Indian Navy ships

• Expression of Interest issued by GRSE for ASW-SWC