Navy launches ASW shallow watercraft Machilipatnam at Cochin shipyard
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) launched Machilipatnam, the seventh of eight Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) being built for the Indian Navy.
The vessel is 78 metres long, 11.36 metres wide, with a draught of about 2.7 metres, and carries indigenous content exceeding 80%.
It is named after the historic port city of Machilipatnam in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh, known for its centuries-old maritime trade links.
The ship is designed for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and mine-laying/subsurface surveillance duties.
The launch was conducted in the presence of a senior Department of Military Affairs official, marking continued progress in the Navy's indigenous shipbuilding programme.
ASW Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) Project
The ASW SWC project addresses a long-standing capability gap: dedicated platforms to detect and neutralise submarines and underwater threats in shallow coastal waters and harbour approaches, where larger frigates/destroyers are less effective. The Ministry of Defence signed contracts in April 2019 for 16 such craft — eight each with Cochin Shipyard Limited (Kochi) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE, Kolkata) — under the Mahe class, named after the first ship, INS Mahe (commissioned November 2025). Machilipatnam is the seventh CSL-built vessel in this class.
Key Details
- Total programme: 16 ASW SWCs across two public sector shipyards (CSL and GRSE)
- Lead ship: INS Mahe, commissioned November 24, 2025, at Naval Dockyard, Mumbai
- Second ship, INS Malvan, commissioned in 2026
- Roles: anti-submarine warfare in shallow/coastal waters, Low Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), mine-laying, subsurface surveillance
- All ships of both classes are targeted for delivery/commissioning by 2028
Machilipatnam's launch is a sequential milestone in this 16-ship indigenous programme, following the commissioning of the first two vessels of the class.
Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP) 2020 — "Buy (Indian-IDDM)" Category
The Buy (Indian-IDDM — Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category under DAP 2020 is the highest-priority acquisition route for defence procurement, reserved for Indian vendors with FDI capped at 49% and minimum indigenous content of 50% for IDDM-tagged platforms (60% for non-IDDM "Buy Indian" cases). It operationalises the Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) push in defence manufacturing.
Key Details
- DAP 2020 unveiled by the Ministry of Defence in September 2020, replacing DPP 2016
- Preference order: Buy (Indian-IDDM) > Buy (Indian) > Buy & Make (Indian) > Buy & Make > Buy (Global)
- Minimum indigenous content: 50% (IDDM) / 60% (non-IDDM "Buy Indian")
- Positive indigenisation lists periodically notified, barring import of listed defence items
Machilipatnam's stated indigenous content of over 80% substantially exceeds the DAP 2020 threshold for IDDM classification, illustrating the shift from imported naval platforms toward domestic warship design and construction.
Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) — Basics
ASW refers to detecting, tracking, and neutralising hostile submarines using sonar (active/passive), sonobuoys, torpedoes, depth charges, and anti-submarine rockets. Shallow, coastal waters pose distinct ASW challenges — acoustic conditions differ from open ocean, and larger warships often cannot manoeuvre close to the coast — which is the specific gap the ASW SWC class fills, complementing the Navy's deeper-water ASW assets such as P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and Kamorta-class corvettes.
Key Details
- ASW SWCs are shallow-draught vessels purpose-built for littoral/coastal ASW, distinct from blue-water ASW frigates
- Complementary Indian Navy ASW assets: P-8I Poseidon aircraft, Kamorta-class (Project 28) corvettes, MH-60R helicopters
- Cochin Shipyard Limited is also the builder of India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant (commissioned 2022), reflecting its expanding role in warship construction
Machilipatnam adds to the Navy's dedicated littoral ASW fleet, addressing coastal and harbour-approach submarine threats as part of a layered maritime security architecture.
- Machilipatnam: 78.0 m long, 11.36 m wide, ~2.7 m draught
- Indigenous content: over 80%
- Seventh of eight CSL-built ASW SWCs; 16 total across CSL and GRSE
- Lead ship of class, INS Mahe, commissioned November 24, 2025
- Named after Machilipatnam, a historic port in Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh
- Builder: Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi, Kerala