The Indian Navy is set to take a significant leap forward in strengthening its coastal defence capabilities with the commissioning of Anjadip, the third vessel under the eight-ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) project.
The warship will be formally commissioned into the Eastern Naval Command at Chennai Port on Friday.
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Built indigenously by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, to counter underwater threats in the country’s strategically vital littoral waters, Anjadip represents a major milestone in enhancing anti-submarine warfare readiness and safeguarding India’s expansive coastline.
"The commissioning ceremony highlights the nation’s accelerated progress towards achieving ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in defence, as the ASW-SWC project exemplifies the triumph of indigenous warship design and construction," the defence ministry stated in a release.
Accoding to the ministry, Anjadip is a state-of-the-art vessel specifically designed to address the challenges of the littoral combat environment—the coastal and shallow waters vital for the nation’s security.
Packed with an indigenous, cutting-edge Anti-Submarine Warfare weapons and sensor package, including the Hull Mounted Sonar Abhay, and armed with Lightweight Torpedoes and ASW Rockets, the vessel is engineered to act as a 'Dolphin Hunter', focused on the detection, tracking, and neutralisation of enemy submarines in coastal areas.
In addition to its primary ASW role, the warship, which is agile and highly manoeuvrable, is also equipped to undertake coastal surveillance, low-intensity maritime operations, and search and rescue operations.
The 77-meter-long ship features a high-speed Water-Jet Propulsion system, enabling it to achieve a top speed of 25 knots for rapid response and sustained operations.
"The induction of Anjadip, named after the historically significant island off the coast of Karwar, significantly bolsters the Navy’s capacity to safeguard India’s vast maritime interests and coastal approaches, including Tamil Nadu and Puducherry area, marking another key step in transforming the Indian Navy into a formidable 'Builder's Navy'," the defence ministry stated.