New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) The Indian Navy is all set to commission INS Arnala, the country’s first indigenously designed and built Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) in Visakhapatnam dockyard on Wednesday under the Eastern Naval Command.

The Spokesperson of the Indian Navy at Naval Headquarters & DPR, Ministry of Defence, in a post on its social media handle X, shared the journey of Arnala, from blueprint to a warship. It also posted a video of the journey, highlighting the efforts put into building the warship.

“India’s first indigenously designed and built Anti Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, is all set to be commissioned today, #18Jun 25. We bring to you the Journey of Arnala From Blueprint … to A Warship,” the Navy wrote on X.

‘Arnala’, the first of the eight ASW SWCs (Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft), indigenously designed and built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, was delivered to the Indian Navy on May 8 at M/s L&T Shipyard, Kattupalli.

According to a government press release, the warship has been designed and constructed as per the Classification Rules of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) of GRSE with M/s L&T Shipyard, thus demonstrating the success of collaborative defence manufacturing.

Arnala is named after the historic fort ‘Arnala’ located off Vasai, Maharashtra, a reflection of India’s rich maritime heritage.

The 77 m long warship is the largest Indian Naval warship propelled by a Diesel Engine-Waterjet combination.

The ship has been designed for underwater surveillance, search and rescue operations and Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO).

The ship is capable of undertaking ASW operations in coastal waters, along with advanced mine-laying capabilities.

The induction of ASW SWC ships will significantly boost shallow water Anti-Submarine Warfare capabilities of the Indian Navy.

“Arnala’s delivery is yet another milestone in the Indian Navy’s quest for indigenous shipbuilding and upholding the government’s vision of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ with over 80 per cent indigenous content,” the release said.

–IANS

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