Know about Agray and Akshay ships that will boost Indian Navy’s anti submarine operations

New Delhi: To augment Indian Navy’s anti-submarine operations, two ships ‘Agray’ and ‘Akshay’ have been launched, nearly five years after the Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Kolkata-based PSU GRSE for production of eight such ASW Shallow Water Crafts (SWCs).

These are the 5th and 6th ships of 08 x ASW Shallow Water Craft (SWC) Project .

The ships have been rechristened after erstwhile Abhay Class Corvettes Agray and Akshay of Indian Navy.

Arnala class of ships will replace the in-service Abhay class ASW Corvettes of Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) and Mine Laying Operations.

The ASW SWC ships are 77.6 m long & 105 m wide with a displacement of 900 tons and endurance of over 1800 NM.

In the last one year, 03 indigenously built warships/ submarine for Indian Navy have been delivered and a total of 09 warships were launched. The launch of two more ships of the project highlights the nation’s resolve towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in shipbuilding.

The first ship of the project is planned to be delivered during the first half of 2024. The ASW SWC ships will have over 80% indigenous content, thereby ensuring that large scale defence production is executed by Indian manufacturing units, generating employment and capability enhancement within the country.

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