The Indian Navy is intensifying its focus on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations in the Indian Ocean Region with the planned induction of its second Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), INS Androth.

Built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, INS Androth follows the commissioning of the first asset in this class, INS Arnala, which entered service in June 2025 at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam.

The ASW-SWC program, envisaged in a contract signed in April 2019, covers the construction of 16 vessels designed to counter hostile submarine operations in coastal and littoral zones. Eight ships are being built by GRSE in Kolkata, while another eight are under construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited in Kochi. These indigenous vessels aim to bolster both India’s submarine detection network and layered coastal defence.

INS Androth derives its name from Androth Island in the Lakshadweep chain, reflecting its symbolic role in protecting India’s maritime boundaries and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The strategic naming underlines the Navy’s doctrine of strengthening presence along archipelagic and near-sea territories in the face of regional maritime competition.

The class of ships measures approximately 77 metres in length and represents the largest Indian naval warships propelled by a Diesel Engine–Waterjet propulsion combination.

They are equipped with modernised lightweight torpedoes, indigenous anti-submarine rockets, and advanced shallow-water sonars, making them optimised for submarine detection and engagement in congested coastal and littoral waters where stealthy intrusions are increasingly likely.

This expansion in ASW capabilities comes amid growing concerns about Pakistan and China’s rapid modernisation of undersea platforms. Pakistan inducted its third Hangor-class submarine, built with Chinese support and equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), in August 2025—part of a fleet of eight advanced submarines scheduled for delivery.

China, meanwhile, has built up the world’s largest navy with over 360 warships and submarines, expanding its forward presence in key waterways including the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy, in contrast, maintains a total fleet of about 130 warships and submarines. While the addition of six French-origin, indigenously manufactured Scorpene-class submarines has strengthened undersea deterrence, the submarine arm still operates around a dozen older boats nearing obsolescence. 

Thus, a critical part of force modernisation is dual in focus: replacing vintage platforms while incrementally increasing total numbers to maintain a credible deterrent.

Beyond surface and undersea craft, the Navy is augmenting its anti-submarine network with P-8I Poseidon long-range maritime patrol aircraft and the induction of unmanned aerial systems (UAVs and drones) tailored for ASW roles.

Together with the ASW-SWC fleet, these assets form a layered, networked surveillance and response grid—an essential requirement in light of the regional submarine proliferation and complex Indo-Pacific geopolitics.

Based On New Indian Express Report