Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvette

(ASW-SWC) GRSE
Class overview
Name	Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC)
Builders	Cochin Shipyard (CSL)[2] Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) (in partnership with Larsen & Toubro (L&T))[2]
Operators	Indian Navy
Preceded by	Abhay-class corvettes[1]
Succeeded by	Next Generation Missile Vessels
Cost	₹12,622 crore (US$1.7 billion) for 16 ships (FY 2020) ₹789 crore (US$100 million) per ship (FY 2020)
Planned	16
Building	9
General characteristics
Type	Corvette
Displacement	700 tons (CSL)[4] 750 tons (GRSE)[5]
Length	77.6 metres (255 ft) (GRSE)[3] 74 metres (243 ft) (CSL)[7]
Beam	10.5 metres (34 ft) (GRSE)[3] 10.5 metres (34 ft) (CSL)[7]
Draught	2.7 metres (8.9 ft) (GRSE)[3]
Propulsion	Water-jet propulsion[6]
Speed	25 knots (46 km/h) [10]
Range	1,800 nautical miles (3,300 km) (at 14 knots (26 km/h)[3]
Complement	57 (7 officers + 50 sailors)
Sensors and processing systems	Combat Suite: ASW Combat Suite (presumably the DRDO-developed IAC MOD ‘C’ combat suite)[8][9] Sonar: Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS)[8] Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS)[8] Management Systems: Fire Control System (FCS)[1] Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS)[8] Automatic Power Management System (APMS)[8] Battle Damage Control System (BDCS)[8]
Armament	Anti-Submarine Warfare: 1 x RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher[1] 6 × Lightweight ASW Torpedo (presumably the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT))[6] Anti-submarine mines (launched from mine-laying rails)[1] Guns: 1 X CRN-91 30mm naval gun[10] 2 x OFT 12.7 mm M2 Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun[1]
Notes	Largest waterjet-powered vessels in the Indian Navy.[10]

The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) corvettes, are a class anti-submarine warfare vessels currently being built for the Indian Navy, by Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE).^[1] They were conceived as a replacement to the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy, and are designed to undertake anti-submarine warfare (ASW) duties – including subsurface surveillance in littoral-waters, search-and-attack unit (SAU) missions and coordinated anti-submarine warfare operations with naval aircraft.^[11] They were also designed to provide secondary duties – including defense against intruding aircraft, minelaying and search-and-rescue (SAR).^[12]

Equipped with sophisticated sensors and ordnance, the vessels also possess the capabilities to interdict and destroy subsurface targets – primarily hostile submarines, within the vicinity of coastal waters.^[11] A total of 16 vessels are being built for the Indian Navy, jointly by CSL and GRSE under the Make in India initiative.^[3] The Indian Navy plans to have all 16 vessels in active service by 2026.^[3]

History[]

Background[]

In December 2013, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) –- the main acquisition panel subordinate to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the procurement of sixteen anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels capable of operating in shallow waters, at a cost of INR ₹13,440 crore, to replace the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy – which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991.^[13][14]

In June 2014, the MoD issued a tender, worth USD $2.25 billion under the ‘Buy and Make India’ category to private-shipyards – including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering (R-Naval), Goa Shipyard (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), for the procurement of the 16 anti-submarine vessels.^[15]

In October 2017, Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) emerged as the first and the second-lowest bidder in the tender, respectively.^[16]

Purchase[]

On 29 April 2019, the MoD and GRSE signed a contract valued at INR ₹6,311 crore (US$840 million) for eight anti-submarine vessels, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026.^[17] The contract stipulated that the first vessel had to be delivered within 42 months of the date of signing, with the remaining seven vessels delivered at regular intervals.^[18][19]

On 30 April 2019, the MoD and CSL signed a similar contract, valued at INR ₹6,311 crore (US$840 million) for the construction of the remaining eight vessels – within a deadline of 84 months.^[20] Under this contract, the first ship was also expected to be delivered within a span of 42 months, with subsequent deliveries of two ships per year.^[21][22]

Construction[]

On 1 December 2020, CSL initiated the project's construction, with the steel-cutting of the first ASW-SWC vessel, Mahe (BY 523) at Kochi.^[23]

On 31 December 2020, GRSE initiated the construction of the stipulated vessels under its agreement, with the steel-cutting ceremony of the first of the eight vessels it had been assigned with, at L&T's shipyard at Kattupalli, near Chennai.^[24][25]

In July 2021, GRSE initiated the construction of two more vessels under its contract, with their respective steel-cutting ceremonies, while the keel of the first vessels (which had begun construction in December, 2020) was laid on 6 August 2021.^[26]

CSL initiated the steel-cutting of the fourth and fifth vessels of the series, on 1 December 2021.^[27]

Design[]

Under the contract for the construction of the 16 vessels, the two shipyards contracted by the Indian Navy – Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), will respectively build eight vessels of their own, respective designs.^[1]

The first eight vessels assigned to GRSE were designed entirely by GRSE's in-house design team, while the remaining eight vessels assigned to CSL were developed by a joint venture – consisting of CSL, Smart Engineering & Design Solutions (India) Ltd. (SEDS) and DA-Group subsidiary Surma Ltd.^[28][1]

The ASW-SWC vessels are the biggest vessels of the Indian Navy to be powered by water-jet propulsion; the vessels' water-jet propulsion system allows the vessel to sprint swiftly for short intervals.^[1] The vessels are also reported to possess several features of stealth – including a reduced radar cross-section (RCS), a low acoustic signature and a low infrared signature.^[29]

Armament[]

The ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with one RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher and two sets of light-weight torpedo-tube launchers for launching anti-submarine torpedoes, (presumably the Advanced Light Weight Torpedo (ALWT)), for neutralizing enemy submarines.^[6] The vessels are also equipped with mine rails, which enables the vessel to lay anti-submarine mines along the seabed.^[1]

Aside from its primary anti-submarine weaponry, the vessels are also equipped with one small-calibre cannon (presumably the CRN-91 30 mm naval gun) and two 12.7 mm M2 "Stabilized Remote Controlled Gun" remote-weapon stations (RWS), equipped with optronic control systems.^[1]

Sensors[]

For detecting and intercepting hostile submarines, the ASW-SWC vessels are equipped with sophisticated sonar equipment, including a hull-mounted sonar (HMS) and towed low-frequency variable-depth sonar (LFVDS).^[1]

Capabilities[]

Being vessels primed for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), the ASW-SWC vessels were conceived to undertake multiple missions, including "search-and-attack-unit" (SAU) roles, low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), subsurface surveillance in littoral-waters and coordinated ASW operations with maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA).^[1] In addition, the vessels also possess the capability to interdict and destroy subsurface targets, within the vicinity coastal waters.^[30] The vessels can also be deployed for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions in littoral waters.^[31]

In their secondary role, the vessels will be able to lay mines, to protect domains of crucial importance, such as naval bases and commercial ports, from enemy submarines.^[32]

Ships of the class[]

See also[]

• Future ships of the Indian Navy
• List of active Indian Navy ships

References[]

External links[]

• Expression of Interest issued by GRSE for ASW-SWC