The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned INS Mahe, the lead ship of the new Mahe-class Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW-SWC), in a high-profile ceremony at Naval Dockyard Mumbai. Built by Cochin Shipyard Limited with more than 80 per cent indigenous content, the 77-metre vessel is equipped with advanced low-signature hull design, water-jet propulsion for speeds above 25 knots, and state-of-the-art sonar and torpedo systems tailored for silent hunting in littoral waters.

For the first time in India’s history, Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi presided over the commissioning of a naval warship, sending a clear message of tri-service synergy as the armed forces move towards integrated theatre commands. General Dwivedi stressed that modern battlefields span land, sea, air, cyber, and space, and victory will belong to forces that operate as one.

Addressing the gathering, the Army Chief highlighted ongoing joint operations from Ladakh to the Indian Ocean and cited the success of integrated logistics during recent campaigns as proof of growing maturity. He described jointness as a core pillar of the Indian Army’s decade-long transformation, perfectly aligned with national security objectives in a multi-domain era.

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INS Mahe has been officially designated the “Silent Hunter” of India’s western seaboard, optimised to detect, track, and neutralise even the quietest submarines in shallow coastal zones where larger warships cannot operate effectively.

The timing is critical. Pakistan Navy is set to induct its first Chinese-built Hangor-class submarine in 2026, with seven more to follow by 2029. Armed with air-independent propulsion and cruise-missile capability, these submarines pose a direct threat to Indian maritime interests. The Mahe-class, with its stealth features and rapid-response anti-submarine weaponry, has been purpose-built to counter this challenge and maintain India’s dominance in underwater warfare along its crucial western coastline.

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