Indian Navy receives indigenous ASW craft ‘Agray’, boosting coastal anti-submarine capabilities

New Delhi, March 30. The Indian Navy on March 30 took delivery of Agray, the fourth Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) in a planned series of eight vessels, from Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata.

Designed and built indigenously by GRSE in compliance with the classification standards of the Indian Register of Shipping, the vessel marks another step forward in India’s push for self-reliance in defence shipbuilding.

Measuring about 77 metres, Agray is among the largest Indian naval warships powered by waterjet propulsion. It is equipped with advanced anti-submarine warfare systems, including lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers, and shallow-water sonar, enabling it to detect and neutralise underwater threats in coastal areas. The induction of the craft is expected to significantly strengthen the Navy’s anti-submarine, mine-warfare, and coastal surveillance capabilities.

The vessel also revives a distinguished naval name. Agray is a reincarnation of the erstwhile INS Agray, a 1241 PE-class patrol vessel that was decommissioned in 2017, continuing the Navy’s tradition of preserving legacy ship names.

With more than 80 percent indigenous content, the delivery of Agray underscores the growing strength of India’s domestic defence manufacturing ecosystem and aligns with the government’s ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ (Self-reliant India) vision to reduce import dependence in critical military platforms.