GRSE delivers Amini to strengthen Indian Navy’s coastal anti-submarine fleet

Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) delivered the anti-submarine warfare shallow-water craft Amini to the Indian Navy on 5 November 2026, adding another domestically designed vessel intended to strengthen underwater surveillance and coastal security. The handover took place at Kattupalli in Tamil Nadu.

Amini is the fifth vessel delivered under GRSE’s eight-ship Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) programme. Rear Admiral Gautam Marwaha, Chief Staff Officer (Technical) at Headquarters Eastern Naval Command, accepted the vessel. The delivery brings GRSE’s cumulative warship construction tally to 119, including 81 vessels supplied to the Indian Navy.

What capabilities does Amini bring?

The Ministry of Defence said Amini is equipped with lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers and sonars to detect and engage underwater threats. Its intended roles also include coastal surveillance and mine-laying.

The vessel belongs to a series described by the ministry as among the Indian Navy’s largest waterjet-propelled warships. GRSE designed and constructed the ships in accordance with the classification rules of the Indian Register of Shipping.

The ministry reported indigenous content exceeding 80%, reflecting the contribution of domestic design, manufacturing and equipment supply to the programme.

The craft is designed for subsurface surveillance, search and attack missions in coastal waters. It can also undertake coordinated anti-submarine operations alongside aircraft, extending its role beyond independent patrols.

How does the vessel fit into the Navy’s replacement programme?

The Ministry of Defence signed the contract for eight ASW shallow-water craft with GRSE on 29 April 2019. The Arnala-class vessels were conceived to replace the Navy’s Abhay-class anti-submarine corvettes and support operations in coastal waters.

At Amini’s launch in November 2023, the ministry described the class as approximately 77 metres long, with a displacement of 900 tonnes, a maximum speed of 25 knots and endurance of around 1,800 nautical miles.

Alongside anti-submarine warfare, the programme provides for low-intensity maritime operations and mine-laying. These defined roles place the ships within the Navy’s coastal and shallow-water operating requirements.

How was construction shared between shipyards?

Amini was launched on 16 November 2023 at Larsen & Toubro’s Kattupalli shipyard. The programme’s construction arrangement divided work between GRSE’s Kolkata facilities and the Kattupalli yard.

Under the build strategy announced by the ministry, four vessels were to be constructed at GRSE, while hull construction and part-outfitting work for the remaining four were subcontracted to Larsen & Toubro Shipbuilding.

The arrangement illustrates how the programme combines the lead defence shipyard’s responsibilities with construction capacity at another Indian yard. With Amini now delivered, five of GRSE’s eight contracted vessels have reached the handover stage.

What is the significance of the Amini name?

The vessel takes its name from Amini Island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It also carries forward the name of the former INS Amini, a Petya III-class anti-submarine warfare corvette decommissioned in 2002.

The latest handover continues that naval naming tradition while introducing a domestically built platform for similar underwater-security responsibilities. The government’s announcement records delivery to the Navy; it does not announce a commissioning date.

For GRSE, the handover follows the delivery of Dunagiri, Sanshodhak and Agray on 30 March 2026, when the shipyard supplied three naval platforms on the same day. Amini adds to that year’s deliveries and advances the remaining shallow-water craft programme.