The Indian Navy is preparing to commission two new vessels this month, INS Samarthak and INS Mangrol, in a move aimed at strengthening indigenous weapons testing capabilities and enhancing anti-submarine operations close to India's coastline, The New Indian Express reported.

The induction comes at a time of growing underwater military activity in the Indian Ocean region and follows Pakistan's continued expansion of its submarine arm through the acquisition of eight Chinese-origin Hangor-class submarines.

Pakistan recently conducted an anti-ship cruise missile firing from PNS Hangor, underlining its long-standing reliance on submarines as a key sea-denial capability against India.

Against this backdrop, the Indian Navy is accelerating efforts to enhance anti-submarine warfare and broader undersea combat capabilities. Former Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi had previously highlighted anti-submarine and undersea warfare as a major operational priority, while Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently stressed that India's military preparedness must be achieved before any crisis materialises.

INS Samarthak, built by Larsen & Toubro, is the Navy's first Multi-Purpose Vessel and the lead ship of a two-vessel class. The vessel has been designed primarily as a dedicated trials and evaluation platform, enabling the Navy to test indigenous weapons, sensors and anti-submarine warfare systems without diverting frontline combatants from operational duties.

The vessel will support the testing of torpedoes and other under-development underwater weapons, recover and deploy targets during anti-submarine exercises, and facilitate trials involving unmanned systems. By assuming these responsibilities, Samarthak will allow operational warships to remain focused on deterrence and mission readiness.

Beyond its trials role, Samarthak will undertake maritime surveillance, offshore patrols, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, pollution-response missions and support activities across India's maritime domain.

The vessel is also part of India's drive towards greater self-reliance in naval capability development and indigenous defence manufacturing. Publicly available information indicates the ship was built with a high level of indigenous content and was conceived as a versatile support asset capable of serving multiple naval requirements.

INS Mangrol, meanwhile, is the third vessel of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft series built by Cochin Shipyard Limited. Once commissioned, it will become the seventh vessel from the planned fleet of 16 shallow-water anti-submarine platforms entering service.

Designed specifically to detect, track and engage hostile submarines operating in coastal and littoral waters, Mangrol is equipped with indigenous underwater sensors, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rocket systems and torpedo decoy launchers. The vessel also possesses mine-laying capability, further expanding its operational utility.

The addition of Mangrol is expected to strengthen the protection of high-value naval and commercial assets operating along India's coastline. Its induction also reflects increasing concern regarding the growing submarine presence in the region, particularly as China continues to supply advanced underwater platforms to several countries in India's neighbourhood.

A significant capability gap nevertheless remains. While Pakistan's Hangor-class submarines feature Air Independent Propulsion technology that allows extended underwater endurance and reduced detectability, India has yet to field an operational submarine equipped with indigenous AIP capability.

This is expected to change through a combination of future acquisitions and upgrades. The six submarines planned under Project-75I, which are slated to be constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in partnership with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, are intended to incorporate AIP systems from the outset. However, the program is still awaiting approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security, and the first submarine is not expected to enter service until several years after contract signature.

In the interim, INS Khanderi, the second Kalvari-class submarine, is scheduled to become the first Indian Navy submarine fitted with DRDO's indigenous fuel-cell-based AIP system. Following integration and trials, the upgraded submarine is expected to enter operational service around the middle of 2028.

The commissioning of Samarthak and Mangrol forms part of a much broader naval modernisation effort. The Navy is working towards the induction of 18 warships during the year, a figure that would represent one of the largest annual fleet expansions in its history.

The Defence Acquisition Council has also granted in-principle approval for 74 additional naval platforms, including nine submarines, signalling sustained investment in maritime capability growth.

At the same time, the Navy continues to closely monitor Chinese research vessels operating across the Indian Ocean Region. Such ships routinely collect hydrographic, oceanographic and seabed-mapping data that could potentially support future submarine operations and underwater military activities.

India currently operates a fleet of roughly 145 warships and aims to expand that force to around 200 vessels over the coming decade. Under Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, who assumed command in May, the service remains focused on modernisation, indigenous capability development and strengthening readiness across all domains of maritime warfare.

Agencies