DELIVERY OF MANGROL – THE THIRD ANTI-SUBMARINE WARFARE SHALLOW WATER CRAFT BUILT BY CSL, KOCHI
Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL), Kochi, delivered "Mangrol," the third Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC) built by CSL, to the Indian Navy on 21 August 2026
The vessel has over 80 percent indigenous content in its design, construction, propulsion, sensors and defence systems
Mangrol is equipped for underwater surveillance, anti-submarine warfare operations in coastal waters, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO), and mine-warfare capabilities
The ship takes its name from the coastal township of Mangrol in Gujarat, following the Navy's practice of naming these craft after Indian coastal towns
ASW Shallow Water Craft Programme — Project Structure and Indigenization
The Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft project addresses a specific capability gap: detecting and engaging submarines in shallow coastal waters where larger frigates and destroyers are less effective. India split construction of 16 such vessels between two public-sector shipyards under a single Ministry of Defence procurement.
Key Details
- Contracts signed in April 2019: 8 vessels each to Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata
- Combined contract value for all 16 vessels: approximately Rs 12,622 crore
- Vessels are indigenously designed and built to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) classification rules
- Propulsion: diesel engine-waterjet system; armament includes lightweight torpedoes, indigenous anti-submarine rockets, and shallow-water sonars
- The class-leading vessel, INS Mahe, was commissioned into service in November 2025; Mangrol is the third CSL-built unit in this class
Mangrol's delivery is a milestone in the phased rollout of this 16-ship indigenous programme, illustrating the "Buy (Indian)" defence procurement route under which platforms are designed and built domestically rather than imported.
Defence Acquisition Procedure and Indigenization Categories
India's defence procurement is governed by the Defence Acquisition Procedure (DAP), which prioritizes indigenous design, development and manufacture over imports through a graded set of acquisition categories.
Key Details
- DAP 2020 (latest version) categorizes acquisitions as Buy (Indian-IDDM — Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured), Buy (Indian), Buy and Make (Indian), Buy (Global), among others, in a priority order favouring domestic content
- The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by the Raksha Mantri, accords Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) before a procurement proceeds to contract
- India's stated defence production target and the "Atmanirbhar Bharat" push in defence manufacturing have driven a rising share of indigenous-content warships, of which the 80%+ indigenous content of the ASW-SWC class is an example
- Cochin Shipyard Limited and GRSE are both Mini-Ratna/listed defence public sector shipyards under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (CSL) and Ministry of Defence (GRSE) respectively
The high indigenous-content figure cited for Mangrol reflects the DAP's preference ordering for domestic acquisition categories, positioned as evidence of India's shift from imported to indigenously built naval platforms.
Coastal Security Architecture
Shallow-water ASW craft like Mangrol operate in the near-coastal zone, a domain distinct from blue-water fleet operations, and complement India's post-26/11 layered coastal security framework.
Key Details
- India's coastal security architecture involves the Indian Navy (overall maritime security including offshore areas), the Indian Coast Guard (coastal patrolling, EEZ enforcement), and state marine police (up to 12 nautical miles, territorial waters)
- The Sagar Prahari Bal, raised after the 2008 Mumbai attacks, undertakes round-the-clock surveillance of coastal and offshore assets
- "Low-Intensity Maritime Operations" (LIMO) — a capability listed for Mangrol — covers operations short of full naval warfare, such as anti-piracy, anti-smuggling and coastal surveillance
Mangrol's mine-warfare, LIMO and shallow-water ASW capabilities directly reinforce the coastal tier of India's multi-layered maritime security architecture built up since 2008.
- Delivery date of Mangrol: 21 August 2026, by Cochin Shipyard Limited, Kochi
- Indigenous content: over 80 percent
- Total ASW-SWC programme: 16 vessels (8 by CSL, 8 by GRSE), contracts signed April 2019, combined value ~Rs 12,622 crore
- Capabilities: underwater surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, mine-laying/mine warfare, Low-Intensity Maritime Operations
- Classification: built to Det Norske Veritas (DNV) rules; propulsion via diesel engine-waterjet system
- First-in-class vessel (INS Mahe) commissioned: November 2025