The Indian Navy has officially inducted INS Mahe, the first vessel of the Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), enhancing its coastal defense and underwater combat capabilities. Commissioned at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on November 24, 2025, this ship represents a significant leap forward in India's maritime security, marked by a design that emphasizes speed, stealth, and precision.

INS Mahe, built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, is a product of India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, showcasing over 80% indigenous content in its construction. Compact yet potent, the vessel measures around 78 meters in length and displaces about 900 to 1,100 tonnes, allowing it to operate efficiently in shallow coastal waters where larger ships cannot maneuver freely. This makes INS Mahe ideal for littoral or near-shore operations, a critical zone for anti-submarine warfare.

Equipped with advanced weaponry such as torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets, and state-of-the-art underwater sensors, INS Mahe is a versatile warship designed to hunt submarines, patrol coastal areas, conduct underwater surveillance, and engage in mine-laying missions. Its stealth features reduce acoustic signatures, enabling it to act as a "Silent Hunter" guarding India's vital maritime approaches, especially along the Western Seaboard. The ship's name and crest pay homage to the historic coastal town of Mahe on the Malabar Coast. The crest features an 'Urumi,' a flexible sword used in Kalaripayattu, an ancient Indian martial art, symbolizing agility, lethal precision, and grace—qualities that INS Mahe embodies.

INS Mahe is the first of eight shallow water anti-submarine vessels being constructed, with half built at Cochin Shipyard Limited and half at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata. These new vessels will progressively replace the older Abhay-class corvettes, significantly upgrading the Navy's capabilities in detecting and neutralizing underwater threats such as diesel-electric submarines operating in the Indian Ocean region.

The commissioning of INS Mahe marks a pivotal advancement for the Indian Navy’s anti-submarine warfare assets, strengthening maritime security through indigenous technology and modern naval warfare capabilities. This aligns with the broader strategic goal of maintaining dominance in the littoral zones and safeguarding India's extensive coastline from underwater threats.