INS Arnala Features: On June 18, 2025, something important happened at Visakhapatnam’s Naval Dockyard. The Indian Navy welcomed a brand-new warship called INS Arnala. This ship is very special. It is not just another navy ship it is the first in a new group of vessels called the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow-Water Craft series. People say it is a game-changer because it helps protect India’s long 7,500 km coastline from threats hiding underwater near the shore.
| Parameter | Details |
| Class & Type | Arnala-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) |
| Length | Approx. 77.6 metres |
| Displacement | ~1,450 to 1,500 tonnes |
| Propulsion | Diesel engines with water-jet propulsion |
| Maximum Speed | 25 knots (~46 kmph) |
| Range | 1,800 nautical miles (~3,300 km) |
| Crew Capacity | ~57 personnel |
| Primary Roles | ASW operations; mine-laying; search & rescue (SAR); maritime surveillance |
| Weapons Systems | Lightweight torpedoes; ASW rockets; 30 mm naval gun; mine-laying gear |
| Sonar & Sensors | Hull-mounted SoNaR; variable-depth SoNaR; anti-torpedo decoy systems |
| Combat Management | Integrated CMS with indigenous software |
| Stealth Capabilities | Low acoustic signature; reduced radar cross-section |
| Build Origin | Indigenous – built by GRSE; over 80% Indian content |
| Fleet Plan | 16 ships planned (8 by GRSE, 8 by CSL) by 2028 |
| First Ship Commissioned | INS Arnala (P68) – June 18, 2025 |
INS Arnala Features
INS Arnala is made to work in shallow water, which means places where the sea is less than 30 meters deep. Bigger ships usually cannot go there or detect small enemy submarines or underwater robots hiding near the coast. But INS Arnala can. It can find and destroy these tiny submarines and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) using its advanced sonar systems and weapons. That makes it super important for India’s coastal defence.
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The ship is very modern. It has hull-mounted sonar and also towed sonar, which help find hidden objects under the sea. It carries lightweight torpedoes, rockets made for attacking submarines, tools to fool enemy torpedoes, and even equipment to drop sea mines. It has a 30 mm naval gun for defence and is linked to the latest command and control systems. These things help it react fast and stay ready all the time.
What makes INS Arnala really clever is how quiet it is. Its special design and systems make it hard to hear under water, so enemy submarines might not even know it’s there. That stealth helps the Indian Navy watch silently and strike when needed. This ship comes at the right time because the older Abhay-class corvettes are getting too old. Arnala takes over their job but does it much better.
INS Arnal: A Step Toward Self-Reliance
INS Arnala also shows how much India has improved in building its own warships. More than 80% of the ship was made in India. It uses systems and parts made by Indian companies like BEL, Mahindra, L&T, and 55 micro, small, and medium enterprises. That supports the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat a self-reliant India. Even the steel used to build it came mostly from the Bokaro Steel Plant, which supplied 3,100 out of 3,500 tonnes of special steel for the project.
The ship was built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in partnership with Larsen & Toubro. It’s part of a bigger plan to build 16 Arnala-class ships by 2028. Eight of them will be built at GRSE and eight more at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL). That means more Indian jobs, better skills, and more power for the Indian Navy.
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INS Arnala also shows that India is moving from being a buyer of defence equipment to being a builder. India has already built over 98 warships, including big ones like INS Vikrant and INS Surat. So now, the country doesn’t have to depend on foreign suppliers every time.
A Powerful Tool for India Sea
This ship is very useful at a time when underwater threats are rising. China is sending more submarines into the Indian Ocean and also investing in unmanned underwater vehicles. Pakistan is growing its own submarine fleet too, and some of those submarines have air-independent propulsion, which helps them stay underwater longer without needing to come up. This is a serious risk for India’s ports, naval bases, and oil platforms near the sea.
INS Arnala can move quickly near ports and chokepoints and help stop any surprise enemy attacks. It takes care of surveillance, mine-laying, and anti-submarine work close to shore. When a naval operation like “Sindoor” takes place which stopped enemy activity in a region a ship like Arnala becomes very useful. It adds to India’s layered defence, meaning there are many lines of protection, and this one is the first line.
