INS Mahe: India’s New Submarine Hunter Strengthens Coastal Defence

The Indian Navy is preparing to commission INS Mahe, the lead vessel of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), on 24 November 2025 at the Mumbai Naval Dockyard. This marks a significant leap in India’s efforts to strengthen its coastal security, particularly in shallow and littoral waters where submarine threats have grown more complex. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), INS Mahe embodies the momentum of the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision, reflecting India’s increasing confidence in its indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities. With more than 80% of the ship’s components sourced domestically, the program signals a maturing industrial ecosystem that can support sustained naval expansion.

Mahe an indigenously designed Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft, will be commissioned at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai on 24Nov 25. Image Credit: Indian Nav/X | Firstpost

Design, Capability and Technological Strength

INS Mahe has been designed specifically to operate in shallow waters, an environment where traditional warships cannot maneuver effectively. Measuring close to 78 metres and displacing around 1,100 tonnes, the vessel has been classified under the standards of Det Norske Veritas (DNV), ensuring global-level quality benchmarks. Its diesel-engine and waterjet propulsion system gives it exceptional maneuverability and quieter acoustic performance, which is critical for anti-submarine missions. The ship can reach speeds of up to 25 knots and sustain long-range patrols, making it ideal for surveillance and rapid response along India’s vast coastline.

The vessel carries advanced sonar systems including hull-mounted and variable-depth sonar suites that enhance its underwater detection range. Its combat capability is reinforced through lightweight torpedoes, multi-barrel anti-submarine rocket launchers, and mine-laying equipment. This combination of sensors and firepower allows INS Mahe to track, classify, and neutralise hostile submarines even in complex coastal terrain. The ship’s reduced acoustic, magnetic, and radar signatures, achieved through deliberate engineering and material choices, further improve its survivability by making it difficult for enemy platforms to detect.

Operational Role and Multi-Mission Flexibility

INS Mahe is built to fulfill a variety of missions essential to coastal defence. Beyond its core function of anti-submarine warfare, it is capable of performing underwater surveillance, mine countermeasure deployment, maritime escort tasks, and search-and-rescue operations. Its shallow draft enables it to operate close to the shore, in river mouths, and in other constrained environments where larger ships cannot reach. This flexibility makes the Mahe-class a valuable asset in both wartime and peacetime scenarios, including intelligence gathering and safeguarding sensitive maritime zones.

The vessel will join the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet, where it is expected to enhance the monitoring and protection of India’s western seaboard, a region of increasing strategic significance. The Indian Ocean Region has seen a rise in submarine deployments by regional and extra-regional powers, making specialized anti-submarine platforms like the Mahe-class critically important for maintaining maritime stability.

Symbolism, Heritage and Naval Legacy

The name “Mahe” carries historical and cultural depth, taken from the coastal town of Mahe situated along the Malabar Coast. Its ship crest depicts an Urumi, a flexible sword used in the ancient martial art Kalaripayattu, symbolizing both grace and lethality. This emblem is meant to reflect the vessel’s operational character—swift, silent, and capable of striking with precision.

Expanding the Class and Strengthening National Capability

INS Mahe is the first of eight vessels in this new class being constructed by Cochin Shipyard Limited. Each ship is named after significant coastal towns across India, reinforcing the maritime identity associated with the program. Subsequent vessels such as INS Malwan, INS Mangrol, INS Malpe, INS Mulki, INS Magdala, and INS Machilipatnam are in various stages of construction and will be inducted in the coming years. Their cumulative addition will considerably enhance the Navy’s layered defence grid, particularly in littoral zones where threats from submarines, unmanned underwater vehicles, and covert maritime activity are evolving rapidly.

The project also reinforces the long-term benefits of indigenous defence production, including reduced reliance on foreign technology, improved logistical support, and expanded opportunities for Indian private-sector defence manufacturers. Companies such as Bharat Electronics Limited and Larsen & Toubro have played integral roles in providing systems and components, strengthening India’s defence industrial base.

The MGMM Outlook

India’s commissioning of INS Mahe marks a defining moment in the country’s push toward stronger coastal defence and genuine self-reliance. From our perspective, the vessel is not just another warship—it represents a shift in India’s strategic intent, where indigenous capability becomes the backbone of national security. With over 80% of its components sourced domestically and engineered specifically for shallow-water warfare, INS Mahe showcases how far Indian defence manufacturing has evolved under Atmanirbhar Bharat. Its advanced sonar suites, low-signature design, and powerful ASW weaponry make it a precision submarine hunter built for the complex littoral environments that shape India’s maritime threats today. The vessel’s symbolic identity—rooted in the heritage of Mahe and the Urumi—also reflects India’s broader attempt to tie military modernisation with cultural ethos and historical confidence.

From an operational viewpoint, INS Mahe enters service at a time when the Indian Ocean Region is witnessing unprecedented submarine movement by regional and external actors. The Western Fleet’s security grid will gain a crucial asset capable of surveillance, mine warfare, escort duties, and coastal defence—all while maneuvering in spaces where larger ships cannot operate. As the lead ship of an eight-vessel class, INS Mahe signals the start of a more layered, technology-driven coastal protection architecture. And with Indian companies like BEL and L&T contributing significantly to its systems, the ship becomes proof that India’s defence ecosystem is maturing into a sustainable competitive force. In our view, INS Mahe stands as a confident marker of India’s maritime future—self-built, strategically aligned, and ready to counter evolving underwater threats with precision and resilience.

(Sources: OpIndia, India Today, Firstpost)