The ''Abhay''-class corvettes of the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates sig ...

are the customised variants of the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

s. The class was primarily intended for coastal patrol and

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

. Last ship of the class is expected to be decommissioned till 2025.

Description

''Abhay'' class is modified from Pauk II class under Project 1241 PE. The ships were built at Volodarski shipyard in the former

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

. ''Abhay'' class vessels are longer, have larger

torpedo tubes A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

and improved electronics when compared to the Pauk I class vessels. The ships in the class were named after former ''Abhay''-class seaward defence boats. ''Abhay'' class is to be upgraded with Abhay integrated sonar system developed by

Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory The Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory or NPOL is a laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), under the Ministry of Defence, India. It is situated in Thrikkakara, Kochi, Kerala. NPOL is responsible for the ...

Service History

INS ''Agray'' was damaged in 2004 when an

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

rocket fired from the onboard

RBU-1200 The RBU-1200 (Russian language, Russian: Реактивно-Бомбовая Установка, Reaktivno-Bombovaja Ustanovka; reaction engine-bomb installation & Смерч; waterspout) is a Russian anti submarine rocket launcher. The weapon sys ...

launcher misfired and exploded on the side of the ship. Following the accident, the vessel was converted into a patrol vessel and a trials ship for

electronic warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

systems. The

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

cleared acquisition of 16 shallow water anti-submarine vessels to replace the ''Abhay'' class of vessels. INS Ajay was decommissioned on 19 September, 2022 after 32 years of service in the Indian Navy.

Ships of the class

References

{{Corvettes of the Indian Navy Corvette classes India–Soviet Union relations

Description

Service History

Ships of the class

See also

References