India's first 3,700-ton unmanned vehicle mothership enters service! Can perform mine hunting and weapons testing missions

The Indian Navy's first multi-purpose ship "INS Samarthak" was officially commissioned on the 16th.

Drones, unmanned boats and unmanned underwater vehicles have gradually become important equipment for the modern navy, and the Indian Navy has also built a dedicated support platform. Foreign military news website Naval News reported that India's first multi-purpose ship "INS Samarthak" was officially commissioned on the 16th. It has a displacement of about 3,700 tons. In addition to serving as an unmanned vehicle mothership, it can also perform mine hunting, weapons testing, maritime patrol and disaster relief missions, thereby sharing the work of front-line combat ships.

The "Samatak" was built by the Indian private enterprise Larsen & Toubro (L&T). It is the first of the first batch of two multi-purpose ships for the Indian Navy. India signed a contract to purchase two ships in March 2022, with a total cost of 8.87 billion Indian rupees (approximately NT$3.03 billion), and the other two ships have been approved for subsequent purchase.

According to public information, the "Samatak" is 107 meters long, has a displacement of about 3,700 tons, is diesel-powered, has a maximum speed of 15 knots, and has a cruising range of more than 4,500 nautical miles when sailing at a speed of 10 knots. It is also equipped with a dynamic positioning system that can maintain precise positions during offshore operations.

It is worth noting that this type of ship is equipped with a large flight deck and a stern crane, which can support the launch and recovery of drones, unmanned boats and unmanned underwater vehicles, and serve as an "unmanned vehicle mothership" at sea. In addition, it can also be used as an operating platform for mine countermeasures unmanned boats and underwater vehicles to conduct mine detection and clearance operations.

Since the Indian Navy currently lacks ships dedicated to clearing mines, the past plan to acquire 12 mine-sweeping and mine-hunting ships has been repeatedly delayed. Therefore, the new multi-purpose ship is expected to supplement part of the mine-hunting capabilities.

In terms of armament, more than 75% of the "Samatak" is domestically produced. Space is reserved on the bow of the ship for the installation of naval guns, torpedo launchers and other weapons. However, there is currently no obvious armament in the public photos. The configuration can be adjusted in the future according to testing needs.