India's Cochin Shipyard (CSL) has launched the seventh Mahe-class anti-submarine corvette slated for the Indian Navy.
The future INS Machilipatnam belongs to a new class of ships built by CSL and designated as anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft (ASW SWCs).
Development of the class is being undertaken jointly by CSL, Smart Engineering and Design Solutions (SEDS), and Surma. SEDS undertook the basic design work on the vessels while Surma was responsible for the combat survivability features and the signature management software.
The eight Mahe-class ships are being developed concurrently with the eight Arnala-class ASW SWCs built for the Indian Navy by the partnership of Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers and Larsen and Toubro. All 16 ships will replace the navy’s Abhay-class corvettes, which were originally designed during the 1980s.
The two ship classes have slightly different dimensions though all vessels will have more than 80 per cent indigenous content in line with the “make in India” initiative of the Indian Government.
Upon completion, the future Machilipatnam will be capable of full-scale, sub-surface surveillance of coastal waters and up to 200 nautical miles from shore as well as search and attack. The vessel can also carry out anti-submarine warfare operations in coordination with aircraft.
Secondary missions will include search and rescue, port protection minelaying, and limited air defence.
The vessel's armament will consist of lightweight torpedoes launched from port and starboard triple tubes, ASW rockets fired from a forward-mounted RBU-6000 launcher, a 30mm naval gun, and two M2 Browning 12.7mm machine guns fitted on remotely controlled stabilised mounts.
