INS Arnala, the inaugural vessel in the series of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft. This warship officially joined the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy on June 18, 2025. The primary purpose of this warship is to identify, track, and destroy enemy submarines in coastal and shallow sea areas. INS Arnala was officially commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam. Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan was also present during this ceremony.

According to the Navy, this warship is equipped with an underwater acoustic communication system and low-frequency variable depth sonar. This warship is equipped with state-of-the-art weapons like lightweight torpedoes, rockets, anti-torpedo decoys, and mine-laying systems. The induction of INS Arnala boosts India’s coastal defense and is also a significant milestone towards the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign.

Specialties of INS Arnala

The warship is 77 meters long and weighs 1,490 tons. It is powered by a combination of diesel engines and waterjets, making it the largest waterjet-powered vessel of the Indian Navy. It is capable of detecting submarines from a distance of 100 to 150 nautical miles and operating at a depth of 30–40 meters.

Over 80% of the warship is indigenously built. Over 55 MSMEs also contributed to the project, reflecting the growing strength of India’s domestic defense industry.

INS Arnala is named after Arnala Fort, a 1737 Maratha sea fort off the Maharashtra coast. Thus carrying forward India’s maritime legacy.

Moreover, speaking on the occasion, Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan highlighted the historic journey of the Indian Navy from being a “Buyer Navy” to a “Builder NavyRead

In essence, INS Arnala is a fast, stealth-capable, multi-role ASW platform—purpose-designed for shallow coastal waters, packed with advanced systems, heavily indigenized, and symbolically linked to India’s maritime past. It marks a significant leap in coastal defense and defense-industry self-reliance.