INS Arnala (P68)

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INS Arnala (P68) at sea.jpg
Arnala at sea.
History
Naval Ensign of India.svg India
NameINS Arnala
Namesake Arnala Fort
Owner Indian Navy
Operator Indian Navy
Ordered29 April 2019 [1]
Builder Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) (in partnership with Kattupalli Shipyard of L&T)
Cost₹789 crore (US$93 million) (FY2020)
Yard number3029
Laid down6 August 2021 [2]
Launched20 December 2022 [3]
Acquired8 May 2025 [4]
Commissioned18 June 2025 [5]
Identification Pennant number: P68
Motto
  • अर्णवे शौर्यम् (Sanskrit)
  • "Valour in the Ocean" (translated) [6]
StatusIn active service
Badge ArnalaCrestN9CC.png
General characteristics
Type Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft
Displacement900 t (890 long tons) [7]
Length77.6 m (254 ft 7 in) [8]
Beam10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) [8]
Draft2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) [8]
Propulsion Water-jet propulsion [9]
Speed25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph)
Range1,800  nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) [8]
Boats & landing
craft carried		1 x RHIB [10]
Crew57 (7 officers + 50 sailors)
Sensors &
processing systems
  • Combat suite:
  • ASW Combat Suite (presumably the DRDO-developed IAC MOD 'C' combat suite) [11] [12]
  • Sonar:
  • DRDO Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS) [13]
  • Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS) [11]
  • Management systems:
  • Fire Control System (FCS)
  • Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) [11]
  • Automatic Power Management System (APMS) [11]
  • Battle Damage Control System (BDCS) [11]
Armament
NotesLargest class of waterjet-powered vessels in the Indian Navy.

INS Arnala is the lead ship of the Arnala class of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft operated by the Indian Navy.

Contents

History

Background

On 23 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 billionorUS$2.7 billion in 2023), to replace the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy – which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991. This includes the development of the vessels with about 700 t (690 long tons; 770 short tons) displacement and an operational radius of 200 nmi (370 km; 230 mi) from its home port. They would be built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE). [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, 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. CSL had quoted a value of ₹5,400 crore (US$829.22 million) while GRSE had to match the bid value of CSL in order to get the contract. [17]

Purchase

On 29 April 2019, the MoD and GRSE signed a contract, valued at ₹6,311.32 crore (equivalent to ₹78 billionorUS$930 million in 2023), for eight anti-submarine vessels, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026. The contract mandates the first vessel to be delivered within 42 months of the date of signing, with the remaining seven vessels delivered at a rate of two ships per year within 84 months. [1] [18]

On 30 April 2019, the MoD and CSL signed a similar contract for the construction of the remaining eight vessels – within a deadline of 84 months. [19] 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. [18] [20] [21]

Construction

GRSE formed a Public Private Partnership alliance with Larsen & Toubro involving its Kattupalli Shipyard to undertake the entire ASW SWC project along with the Survey Vessel (Large) Project. [2]

The keel laying ceremony of the ship was conducted on 6 August 2021 at Kattupalli Shipyard. [2] Christened Arnala, the ship was launched into the water of the Bay of Bengal on 20 December 2022. The chief guest of the event was Smt Rasika Chaube, Financial Adviser (Defence Services), Ministry of Defence. [3] [22]

By March 2025, the Contractor Sea Trials (CST) of INS Arnala was completed by GRSE. As per a press release, "CST is considered the final stage of construction, when a vessel’s seaworthiness is tested". [23] [23] The ship was delivered to the Navy on 8 May 2025. [4]

The ship was commissioned on 18 June 2025 at the Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan. [5]

Namesake

The ship, Arnala, was named after the Arnala Island which is 13 km (8.1 mi) north off Vasai, Maharashtra which reflects the strategic and symbolic significance of the vast maritime territories of India. [3] [5]

Design

INS Arnala has a displacement of 900 tonnes [24] with a gross tonnage of 1,490 tonnes. [25] The class of warship is considered as the largest warship of the Indian Navy to be designed and propelled by pump-jet technology. The warship is equipped with three marine diesel engines coupled with a water jet each. By dimensions, the ship measures 77.6 m (255 ft) by length and 10.5 m (34 ft) by width. Arnala offers a maximum speed of 25 kn (46 km/h; 29 mph) and a maximum range of 1,800 nmi (3,300 km) at a speed of 14 kn (26 km/h). The ship has a standard accommodation for seven officers and 50 sailors and has a provision to carry an RHIB. [10]

The ship has an indigenous content of over 80% with equipment from Bharat Electronics, Mahindra Defence, and Larsen & Toubro among others. [26]

Weapons

The weapons suite of Arnala is designed to support its intended anti-submarine warfare operations in shallow waters. The anti-submarine weapons that equip the ship includes a forward-mounted RBU-6000, a triple 324 mm lightweight torpedo tube each on port and starboard equipped with Advanced Light-Weight Torpedo (ALWT) at the aft and anti-submarine mine-laying rails. Behind the torpedo tubes, two Mahindra Defence Systems-supplied torpedo decoy launching systems (DLS), as a part of the Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare Defence Suite (IADS). [10] [27] [28] [29]

For surface warfare and self-defence, the ship employs a Naval Surface Gun (30 mm), [30] [31] which serves the role of main gun as well as two OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun (SRCG) as general-purpose machine guns. The SRCG is the Indian variant of Elbit Systems' Remote Controlled Naval Weapon Station (RCNWS). [10]

Sensors

As part of its sensor suite, Arnala is equipped with Abhay compact active hull-mounted sonar (HMS), a towed low-frequency variable-depth sonar (LFVDS) procured from a joint venture firm between Indian CFF Fluid Control Ltd. and German Atlas Elektronik, a division of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) along with an underwater acoustic communication system (UWACS). [10]

The Abhay active sonar system — developed by DRDO's Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) and manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) — includes transducer array, data acquisition system, power amplifier and the dual multi-function console (DMFC). The system utilises advanced adaptive signal and information processing techniques to detect, track and classify of targets. [10] The compact system helps in the application of the systems onto smaller category of naval warships like Shallows Water Crafts, Light Frigates & Patrol Vessels by replacing legacy Russian sonar. Earlier, hull-mounted sonars were only limited to frigates and destroyers. [32]

Additionally, the corvette employs two navigation radars, an electronic warfare suite which employs Radar Electronic Support Measures (R-ESM) and Communications ESM (C-ESM) or COMINT and is equipped for Satellite Communications (SATCOM). As part of its network-centric warfare suite, the enite sensors and weapon suite is integrated into the combat management system (CMS) and the ship is equipped with integrated bridge system (IBS), an expadable bathy theromograph (XBT), an automatic identification system (AIS), an echo sounder and an automatic weather observation system (AWOS). The ship employs an integrated ASW complex (IAC) which computes fire control solutions and facilitates firing of ASW weapons including torpedoes and rockets. The IAC was developed by BEL and DRDO. [10]

References

  1. 1 2 Himatsingka, Anuradha (2019-04-29). "GRSE signs contract for 8 anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts for Indian Navy". The Economic Times. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  2. 1 2 3 "Keel laying ceremony for 1st warship of ASW Shallow Water Craft Project and 3rd warship of Survey Vessel Large Project" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2021-08-06. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  3. 1 2 3 "Launch of 'Arnala'- first ship of ASW SWC (GRSE) Project on 20 Dec 22 at M/s L&T, Kattupalli" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  4. 1 2 "Delivery of 'Arnala'- first Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft to the Indian Navy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2025-05-08. Retrieved 2025-05-08.
  5. 1 2 3 "INS Arnala commissioned into Indian Navy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-06-18.
  6. ↑ "INS Arnala: Indian Navy gets first 1500-tonne desi anti-submarine ship to keep enemy away from Indian ports". The Economic Times. 2025-06-19. ISSN   0013-0389 . Retrieved 2025-06-19.
  7. ↑ "LAUNCH OF 'ARNALA', FIRST SHIP OF ASW SWC (GRSE) PROJECT ON 20 DEC 22 AT M/S L&T, KATTUPALLI".
  8. 1 2 3 4 "GRSE starts ASW-SWC corvette production in partnership with Larsen & Toubro". Janes.com.
  9. 1 2 "Touted As 'Game-Changer', What Are Indian Navy's 'Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts'?". Latest Asian, Middle-East, EurAsian, Indian News. December 27, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Mitsopoulos, Dimitris (2025-06-25). "India Commissions Its First ASW-SWC Corvette". Naval News. Retrieved 2025-06-26.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "NIE No. GRSE/GMD/ASW-SWC/12/01 Expression of Interest (EOI) For Design of Anti Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) for Indian Navy" (PDF). grse.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2021.
  12. ↑ "Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd.- Government of India Undertaking - Tender Archive". grse.in.
  13. ↑ "Eyes and Ears Underwater". Force India. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  14. ↑ Bhatnagar, Gaurav Vivek (2013-12-24). "Four major acquisitions for the Navy and the Army approved". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  15. ↑ Prasad, KV (2013-12-25). "MoD clears Navy plans to get 16 shallow-water anti-sub vessels". Tribune India. Archived from the original on 2025-08-29. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  16. ↑ "India issues $2.25bn tender to procure ASW shallow-water craft". Naval Technology. 2014-06-18. Archived from the original on 2025-09-15. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  17. ↑ "Garden Reach Shipbuilders set to win ₹5,400-crore Navy order". BusinessLine. 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  18. 1 2 "Contract Signing with M/S CSL and M/S GRSE for Acquisition of Sixteen Anti Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) for Indian Navy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2025-09-15.
  19. ↑ "GRSE Signs Contract for 08 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft". psuwatch.com. 29 April 2019.
  20. ↑ "Cochin Shipyard gets Rs 6,311 crore contract for anti-submarine warfare ships". Business Today. 30 April 2019.
  21. ↑ "Cochin Shipyard gets ₹6,311 crore contract for anti-submarine warfare ships". mint. April 30, 2019.
  22. ↑ Shukla, Ajai (2022-12-20). "Indigenously built INS Arnala touches the waters of Bay of Bengal". www.business-standard.com. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  23. 1 2 "GRSE completes Contractor Sea Trials of two warships simultaneously". Press Information Bureau . 2025-03-17. Retrieved 2025-03-19.
  24. ↑ "Launch of 'Arnala', first ship of ASW SWC (GRSE) Project on 20 Dec 22 at M/s L&T, Kattupalli" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  25. ↑ "INS Arnala commissioned into Indian Navy" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2025-06-18. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  26. ↑ Kumar, Anish (2025-06-06). "Indian Navy set to commission 'Arnala', first in ASW-SWC series". Press Information Bureau . Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  27. ↑ "MoD signs Rs 1,350 crore contract for Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare Defence Suites with an Indian company" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  28. ↑ "Mahindra Defence to Manufacture Integrated ASW Defence Suite for Indian Navy" (Press release). Mahindra. 2021-08-27. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  29. ↑ Staff, D. A. (2022-01-14). "Integrated Anti-Submarine Warfare Defense for Indian Navy". Defense Advancement. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
  30. ↑ "In a major boost to Indian Navy's firepower, indigenous Naval Surface Gun aces sea trials". The Week. Retrieved 2025-05-28.
  31. ↑ @OfficialGRSE (2025-05-22). "From Warships to Weapons: GRSE's Naval Surface Gun Trial Marks New Era of Indigenous Capability..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2025-05-28– via Twitter.
  32. ↑ "Indigenously Developed Sonars" (Press release). Press Information Bureau. 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2025-07-13.
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