The Arnala class is a new class of Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) for the Indian Navy, with INS Arnala as the lead vessel, commissioned on June 18, 2025. This class of corvettes was created to replace the Indian Navy's aging Abhay-class corvettes, which were designed in the 1980s. The primary problem it solves is enhancing the Navy's capability for Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) in coastal and shallow waters, up to 200 nautical miles from shore.
The project involves a total of 16 vessels, with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) building eight ships of the Arnala class, and Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) building the other eight, known as the Mahe-class. The design is entirely indigenous, with over 80% indigenous content, aligning with the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Each vessel has a displacement of 900 tonnes and a length of 77.6 metres. They are propelled by a diesel engine–waterjet propulsion system, making them the largest Indian Naval warship to use this technology, and can achieve a top speed of 25 knots. Key armament includes a forward-mounted RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launcher, triple lightweight torpedo launchers, and a 30mm naval gun. The ships are equipped with a DRDO Abhay Hull-Mounted Sonar (HMS) and a Low Frequency Variable Depth Sonar (LFVDS) for sub-surface surveillance. The class is a direct replacement for the Abhay-class corvettes.