Navy Commissions INS Mangrol, the Third Cochin-Built Mahe-Class Anti-Submarine Craft

The Indian Navy commissioned INS Mangrol, the third ship of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Monday, 12 October 2026. Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, presided over the ceremony.

Designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) in Kochi, the ship has more than 80% indigenous content, according to the Navy. It is the latest step in a programme meant to give India a dedicated fleet of small, quiet hunters for the shallow coastal waters where larger warships struggle to operate.

Why shallow-water submarine hunting matters

Submarines are hardest to find close to shore. Sound behaves unpredictably in shallow water, seabed clutter confuses sonar, and harbour approaches are crowded with merchant traffic. Large destroyers and frigates are designed for blue-water operations and have limited manoeuvring room in such areas.

The ASW-SWC ships were ordered to fill that gap. They are meant to detect and neutralise underwater threats in coastal waters and harbours, and to protect ports and sea lanes close to India's coastline. They replace the Navy's ageing Soviet-origin Abhay-class corvettes.

The ship and its sensors

INS Mangrol carries the Abhay hull-mounted sonar for underwater detection, lightweight torpedoes, and an indigenous anti-submarine rocket launcher. Publicly available specifications list a length of about 78 metres, a top speed of around 25 knots and water-jet propulsion, which gives the ship a shallow draught and agility in confined waters.

Like its sister ships, it is also expected to carry out secondary roles such as search and rescue, coastal surveillance and support to mine-related operations, according to earlier Navy descriptions of the class.

A 16-ship programme split between two yards

The Ministry of Defence signed the contract with Cochin Shipyard for eight ASW-SWC vessels on 30 April 2019. A parallel order for eight more went to Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata, bringing the programme to 16 ships. The two yards' vessels form separate classes: CSL builds the Mahe class, while GRSE's ships have been commissioned under the Arnala class.

Mangrol's path to service has been quick. Cochin Shipyard delivered the ship to the Navy on 21 August 2026, and it was commissioned less than two months later. The lead ship, INS Mahe, was commissioned in Mumbai on 24 November 2025, and the second, INS Malvan, followed on 22 July 2026. Mangrol is the seventh vessel from the overall 16-ship programme to be commissioned.

A record year for the fleet

The commissioning came during an unusually busy year for Indian naval shipbuilding. Vice Admiral Vatsayan said ten ships had been commissioned in 2026, with eight more expected soon. Just four days after Mangrol, the Navy is scheduled to commission Samarthak, the first of four indigenous multi-purpose vessels built by Larsen & Toubro at its Kattupalli shipyard near Chennai, at Naval Base Karwar on 16 October. Samarthak has more than 75% indigenous content.

Earlier this month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched Surya, the Navy's first indigenous fleet support ship, at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam.

What it means for Indian industry

Each ASW-SWC is a test of whether Indian yards can build a complex warship in series, on time, with most of its content sourced at home. Hitting more than 80% indigenous content on a ship that integrates sonar, torpedoes and rocket launchers is significant, because combat systems are traditionally the hardest part to localise.

For Cochin Shipyard, which also built the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, the steady cadence of Mahe-class deliveries supports a domestic supplier base that includes sonar makers, propulsion integrators and electronics vendors. The Navy's own description of the ship, in Vatsayan's words, is that it "demonstrates India's engineering capabilities, technological progress and national resolve."

The Navy's wider push is towards building warships for export as well as for its own fleet. A proven, mid-sized anti-submarine design with high local content could eventually become part of that offer to friendly navies in the Indian Ocean region, although no such export has been announced for this class.

What comes next

Five more Mahe-class ships remain to be delivered from Cochin Shipyard, alongside the remaining GRSE-built vessels. As the class grows, the operational question shifts from shipbuilding to how the Navy uses these craft together with maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and seabed sensors to build a layered underwater picture along India's long coastline.

Sources

• https://newsonair.gov.in/indian-navy-commissions-third-anti-submarine-warfare-craft-ins-mangrol-in-mumbai/
• https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/indian-navy-strengthens-anti-submarine-preparedness-with-commissioning-of-ins-mangrol-at-mumbai
• https://theprint.in/india/navy-inducts-third-anti-submarine-warfare-shallow-water-craft-mangrol/3069069/
• https://www.etvbharat.com/en/bharat/navy-inducts-third-anti-submarine-warfare-shallow-water-craft-mangrol-enn26101201255
• https://thehansindia.com/news/cities/visakhapatnam/indigenous-ins-mangrol-commissioned-into-indian-navy-1131860
• https://www.manoramayearbook.in/current-affairs/india/2026/08/22/cochin-shipyard-ins-mangrol-navy.html
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Mangrol_(2023)
• https://bharatshakti.in/indian-navy-to-commission-indigenous-multi-purpose-vessel-samarthak-on-october-16/