INS Mahe
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: PIB
Subject: Defence Exercise
Context: INS Mahe, India’s first Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), was commissioned into the Indian Navy at Mumbai.
About INS Mahe:
What it is?
• INS Mahe is the lead ship of the indigenously designed Mahe-class ASW Shallow Water Craft, built to conduct anti-submarine warfare in coastal and shallow waters.
• It serves as the first line of coastal defence, supporting larger ships, submarines and naval aviation assets.
Developed By:
• Designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi.
• Over 80% indigenous content, making it a major milestone in Aatmanirbhar Bharat and indigenous naval capability.
• To detect, track and neutralise submarine threats in India’s littoral zones.
• To enhance India’s coastal security architecture and provide persistent maritime surveillance.
Key Features of INS Mahe:
• ASW Shallow Water Craft: Optimised for operations in coastal, low-depth waters where larger platforms cannot manoeuvre effectively.
• Stealth and readiness: Embodied in its motto “Silent Hunters”.
• Advanced combat suite: A compact yet powerful network of modern weapons high-precision sensors advanced communication systems
• modern weapons
• high-precision sensors
• advanced communication systems
• Superior ASW capability: Can detect, track, and neutralise sub-surface threats with high accuracy.
• Modern systems: Equipped with technologically advanced machinery and integrated control systems.
• Design inspiration: Named after the historic coastal town Mahe on the Malabar Coast Crest features the Urumi (flexible sword of Kalaripayattu) Mascot: Cheetah symbolising speed and focus
• Named after the historic coastal town Mahe on the Malabar Coast
• Crest features the Urumi (flexible sword of Kalaripayattu)
• Mascot: Cheetah symbolising speed and focus
Significance:
• Boosts India’s ASW capabilities: Enhances surveillance and submarine-tracking capacity in crucial littoral waters.
• Strengthens coastal defence: Forms the forward layer of India’s multi-layered maritime security grid.
• Major stride in indigenisation: Reinforces India’s ability to design and build complex naval combatants.