NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is set to commission its first multi-purpose vessel and a new shallow-water submarine hunter this month to add dedicated capabilities for weapons trials and coastal anti-submarine warfare amid growing underwater activity in the region, it is learnt.
The induction of INS Samarthak and INS Mangrol comes as Pakistan expands its submarine fleet with Chinese-built boats. Pakistan last week test-fired an anti-ship cruise missile from PNS Hangor, the first of eight Chinese-origin submarines it is acquiring.
With a smaller surface fleet, the Pakistan Navy has traditionally banked on subs for sea denial against India. The Hangor-class subs are equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP), allowing them to remain submerged for longer periods and making them harder to detect.
India, meanwhile, is stepping up efforts to strengthen its undersea warfare capabilities. “Our focus has been on sharpening critical war-fighting capabilities, particularly in anti-submarine and under-sea warfare,” then-Navy chief Adm Dinesh K Tripathi had said in February.
The emphasis on building capabilities ahead of emerging threats was reiterated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Navy’s Commanders’ Conference earlier this week. He said India’s preparedness must reach the crisis point before the crisis itself reaches its doorstep.
The effort is part of a broader expansion of the Navy’s fleet. As reported by TNIE in July, the Navy is working to commission 18 warships this year, the highest number in a single year. Samarthak and Mangrol are among them.
Built by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Samarthak is the first of two multi-purpose vessels ordered by the Navy. It will primarily serve for testing new indigenous weapons and sensors at sea, including anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems and will reduce the need to use frontline warships for trials.
“Samarthak is essentially a dedicated test and trials platform for the Navy. It allows us to test torpedoes and anti-submarine weapons under development, launch and recover underwater targets during ASW exercises and operate unmanned systems, without having to take a frontline warship away from its operational role,” said a source in the defence establishment.
Besides weapons trials, Samarthak will also undertake maritime surveillance, patrolling, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and pollution response at sea.
Meanwhile, Mangrol, the third Mahe-class ASW shallow water craft (ASW-SWC) built by Cochin Shipyard Limited. It will be the seventh of 16 such vessels to be commissioned. The craft is fitted with indigenous underwater sensors and carries lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and torpedo decoy launchers. It can also lay mines.
“Mangrol is geared for sub-hunting and protection of high-value assets along India’s coastline. It will add to the Navy’s ability to counter the growing undersea threat as China supplies submarines in India’s neighbourhood,” the source added.
The Navy, however, does not yet operate an AIP-equipped submarine unlike its adversaries. The six submarines planned under Project-75I, to be built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders with Germany’s TKMS, will have AIP from the outset. The programme is still awaiting clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Modi and it will take at least seven years from contract signing for the first submarine to be operational.
INS Khanderi, the second Kalvari-class submarine, is set to be the first Navy submarine to receive DRDO’s fuel-cell based homegrown AIP system later this year. However, it will only be operational around mid-2028.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has also given-in principle approval for 74 additional warships, including nine submarines.
Furthermore, the Navy is vigilantly monitoring Chinese research vessels operating in the Indian Ocean Region. Such vessels conduct seabed mapping and gather hydrographic and oceanographic data that could support submarine operations.
The Navy currently has around 145 warships and plans to expand the fleet to 200 ships over the next decade. Navy chief Adm Krishna Swaminathan, who took over in May, has said the force is focused on capability enhancement and modernisation.
