Template:Italic title Template:Infobox ship INS Agray is the fifth ship of the Arnala class of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC). The ship has been ordered by the Indian Navy and was launched on 13 March 2024.[1]
History
Background
On 23 December 2013, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) –- the main acquisition panel subordinate to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the procurement of sixteen anti-submarine warfare (ASW) vessels capable of operating in shallow waters, at a cost of Template:INRConvert, to replace the ageing Abhay-class corvettes of the Indian Navy – which were commissioned between 1989 and 1991. This includes the development of the vessels with about Template:Convert displacement and an operational radius of Template:Convert from its home port. They would be built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE).[2][3]
In June 2014, the MoD issued a tender, worth USD2.25 billion under the 'Buy and Make India' category to private-shipyards – including Larsen & Toubro (L&T), ABG Shipyard, Pipavav Defense and Offshore Engineering, Goa Shipyard (GSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), for the procurement of the 16 anti-submarine vessels.[4]
In October 2017, Cochin Shipyard (CSL) and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) emerged as the first and the second-lowest bidder in the tender, respectively. CSL had quoted a value of Template:INRConvert while GRSE had to match the bid value of CSL in order to get the contract.[5]
Purchase
On 29 April 2019, the MoD and GRSE signed a contract, valued at Template:INRConvert, for eight anti-submarine vessels, to be delivered between 2022 and 2026. The contract mandates the first vessel to be delivered within 42 months of the date of signing, with the remaining seven vessels delivered at a rate of two ships per year within 84 months.[6][7]
On 30 April 2019, the MoD and CSL signed a similar contract for the construction of the remaining eight vessels – within a deadline of 84 months.[8] Under this contract, the first ship was also expected to be delivered within a span of 42 months, with subsequent deliveries of two ships per year.[7][9][10]
Construction
GRSE formed a Public Private Partnership alliance with Larsen & Toubro involving its Kattupalli Shipyard to undertake the entire ASW SWC project along with the Survey Vessel (Large) Project.[11]
The keel laying ceremony of the ship, along with her sister ship Template:INS, was conducted on 31 December 2022 at GRSE Main Works in Kolkata by the then Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane.[12] Christened Agray, the ship was launched into the water of the Hooghly River on 13 March 2024. The chief guest of the event was the then Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari.[1]
The ship was delivered to the Indian Navy on 30 March 2026[13] along with Template:INS and Template:INS.[14][15]
Namesake
The ship, Agray, was named after her predecessor, a retired Template:Sclass, which itself was a subclass of Soviet-origin Template:Sclass.
Design
Weapons
Sensors
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Four major acquisitions for the Navy and the Army approved. The Hindu(24 December 2013). Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ MoD clears Navy plans to get 16 shallow-water anti-sub vessels, Prasad, KV. Tribune India(25 December 2013). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ India issues $2.25bn tender to procure ASW shallow-water craft. Naval Technology(18 June 2014). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ Garden Reach Shipbuilders set to win ₹5,400-crore Navy order. BusinessLine(16 January 2018). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ GRSE signs contract for 8 anti-submarine warfare shallow water crafts for Indian Navy. The Economic Times(29 April 2019). Retrieved 15 September 2025.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Template:Cite press release
- ↑ GRSE Signs Contract for 08 Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Watercraft. psuwatch.com(29 April 2019).
- ↑ Cochin Shipyard gets Rs 6,311 crore contract for anti-submarine warfare ships. Business Today(30 April 2019).
- ↑ Cochin Shipyard gets ₹6,311 crore contract for anti-submarine warfare ships. mint(30 April 2019).
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ Template:Cite press release
- ↑ 3 ships - Dunagiri, Sanshodhak, and Agray - handed over to Navy on Monday. BusinessLine(2026-03-30). Retrieved 2026-03-31.
- ↑ Navy gets three indigenous warships from GRSE, boost to self-reliance push. India Today(2026-03-30). Retrieved 2026-03-31.