The Indian Navy has inducted INS Agray, a made-in-India anti-submarine warfare stealth corvette, into its operational fleet. The vessel is the fourth ship of the Kamorta-class indigenously designed and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) under the Indian Navy’s Project 28 stealth corvette programme.
INS Agray is equipped with advanced sonar systems, torpedo launchers, and depth charge capabilities optimised for hunting submarines in littoral and blue-water operating areas. The ship displaces approximately 2,300 tonnes and achieves speeds exceeding 25 knots, enabling rapid deployment across India’s maritime zones.
The Kamorta-class corvettes represent a significant leap in India’s indigenous warship construction capability. Each vessel is fitted with a phased array radar, integrated bridge systems, and a modern combat management suite that allows coordinated multi-threat engagement. The class is specifically designed to operate in shallow coastal waters where submarine threats are most acute, a critical requirement for Indian Navy operations in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
CSL has constructed the entire Kamorta-class series without foreign design support beyond initial consultancy, marking a milestone in India’s Make in India defence manufacturing initiative. INS Kamorta, the lead ship, was commissioned in 2014, followed by INS Kiltan and INS Kadmatt. Each successive vessel has incorporated improvements based on operational feedback and technological advances in integrated ship systems.
India’s submarine threat environment spans two major maritime zones. Pakistan operates diesel-electric and nuclear submarines, while China’s expanding submarine fleet poses a strategic challenge in the Indian Ocean Region. The Kamorta-class corvettes fill a critical capability gap by providing persistent anti-submarine patrols at lower operational costs than larger destroyers or frigates, allowing the Navy to maintain continuous presence across multiple threat axes simultaneously.
The induction of INS Agray reflects the Navy’s shift toward indigenous platforms under the 30-year shipbuilding plan announced in 2015. CSL’s track record delivering these vessels on schedule and within budget has strengthened the case for further orders of Kamorta-class ships and expanded opportunities for the yard in building larger platforms including guided-missile frigates and destroyers.
The corvette also serves as a training platform for young officers in modern anti-submarine warfare tactics, sonar interpretation, and integrated air defence operations. Its complement of approximately 90 personnel includes dedicated sonar operators and weapons specialists trained at the Naval Anti-Submarine Warfare Centre at Kochi.
