Indian Navy inducted three new ships — INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray

Three Distinct Strategic Roles of the Three Ships Inducted into Navy-Indian Express 

The Indian Navy inducted three new ships — INS Dunagiri, INS Sanshodhak and INS Agray — at Kolkata. These ships add three different capabilities to the Navy: blue-water combat, deep-sea surveying, and coastal anti-submarine warfare.

The vessels have been built by Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, with more than 75% indigenous content and the involvement of over 200 MSMEs.

1. INS Dunagiri — Blue-Water Combat Capability

• INS Dunagiri is the largest and most heavily armed among the three ships.
• It is a BrahMos-armed stealth frigate.
• It is part of the Navy’s Project 17A, under which new-generation stealth guided-missile frigates are being built in India.
• It carries:
  • BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles
  • Multi-Function Surveillance, Track and Guidance Radar
  • Electronic warfare systems
  • Anti-submarine weapons
• Its role is to operate in the blue-water environment, far from the coast, and deal with conventional as well as non-conventional threats.

2. INS Sanshodhak — Deep-Sea Survey Capability

• INS Sanshodhak is a Survey Vessel Large (SVL).
• Its role is to measure and map the sea, including:
  • Depth of waters
  • Seabed features
  • Approach channels to ports
  • Navigational routes
  • Oceanographic data
• It is equipped with autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles and multi-beam echo sounders.
• It helps naval ships and submarines navigate safely and plan operations.
• It also supports civilian needs such as safe shipping, disaster relief, ocean research and coastal development.

3. INS Agray — Coastal Anti-Submarine Warfare Capability

• INS Agray is the smallest of the three ships.
• It is an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft.
• It belongs to the Arnala-class of smaller warships.
• Its main role is to detect and attack submarines in shallow coastal waters near ports, naval bases and important sea approaches.
• It carries:
  • Lightweight torpedoes
  • Indigenous anti-submarine rocket launchers
  • Sonar systems
• Such ships are important because coastal waters are noisy and cluttered, making submarine detection difficult.

Larger Strategic 

The commissioning of these three ships reflects the Indian Navy’s layered capability-building approach:

• INS Dunagiri strengthens distant sea operations.
• INS Sanshodhak improves maritime domain knowledge.
• INS Agray strengthens coastal submarine defence.

It also highlights the growing maturity of India’s indigenous naval shipbuilding ecosystem, as different types of advanced warships can now be built domestically and commissioned together.