Anti-submarine warfare
Also called: ASW · Topic: State, Government and Governance: Organs, Levels and the Citizen · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is the part of naval warfare that finds, follows and destroys enemy submarines. Submarines hide underwater, where radar does not work. So ASW depends on sonar, which finds objects by sending sound through water. The attack is made with weapons such as torpedoes and rocket launchers. These are carried by ships, aircraft or helicopters. ASW matters for India because submarine activity in the Indian Ocean Region is growing, and India has a long coastline and many island territories to protect.
Example
On 05 Nov 2026, GRSE, Kolkata, delivered 'Amini' to the Indian Navy. It is an Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC), a small warship built to hunt submarines in coastal waters. It carries lightweight torpedoes, indigenous rocket launchers and a shallow-water sonar. Ships of this class replace the older Abhay class ASW corvettes. The first ship of the class, INS Arnala, was commissioned at Visakhapatnam on 18 Jun 2025.
Don't confuse with
- Mine warfare: this means laying or clearing sea mines to block or guard waters. An ASW SWC can also lay mines, but that is a separate role. ASW itself means hunting submarines.
- Submarine warfare: here submarines are the attackers, used against ships or other targets. ASW is the defence against them.