The planned induction of INS Samarthak and INS Mangrol represents another step in India’s effort to improve maritime surveillance, indigenous weapons testing and anti-submarine warfare. The development comes as submarine activity increases across the Indian Ocean and Pakistan expands its undersea fleet with Chinese-built Hangor-class submarines. Samarthak, constructed by Larsen & Toubro, is the first Indian Navy Multi-Purpose Vessel and is intended primarily to serve as a dedicated platform for testing weapons, sensors and underwater warfare equipment. It can support torpedo trials, target operations, unmanned-system evaluations and other developmental activities. By providing a specialized test platform, the ship reduces the need to divert operational warships from frontline duties. It can also perform surveillance, patrol, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and pollution-response missions. Mangrol belongs to the Mahe-class shallow-water anti-submarine warfare craft and is the third vessel of the class. It will become the seventh of 16 planned ships. Designed specifically for littoral submarine hunting, it carries indigenous underwater sensors, lightweight torpedoes, anti-submarine rockets and decoy systems, while also retaining mine-laying capability. Its induction is expected to strengthen coastal protection for both naval and commercial assets. India is simultaneously working to address the AIP capability gap. Project-75I submarines are expected to feature AIP systems, while INS Khanderi is planned to receive DRDO’s indigenous fuel-cell AIP system and potentially enter service after trials around mid-2028. These programmes form part of a broader naval expansion plan. The Navy aims to induct 18 warships during the year and has received in-principle approval for another 74 platforms, including nine submarines. With around 145 warships currently in service, India is targeting a fleet of approximately 200 vessels over the next decade.
