PM Commissions INS Kalvari Into Indian Navy

Days after the Navy observed the golden jubilee of its submarine wing, PM Narendra Modi commissioned India’s first indigenous Scorpene class submarine, INS Kalvari into the navy. Shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited has built the INS Kalvari which is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines that are designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS. The submarines are being built in Mumbai as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy. With this addition, India now has a fleet of 16 submarines. The new submarine built indigenously in India has been commissioned after a gap of 17 years. INS Kalvari will help sharpen navy’s underwater attack capabilities. Out of the six Scorpene submarines, the first four submarines will be conventional, while the last two are to be equipped with the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, which will enable the vessel to stay underwater for a longer duration. All six diesel-electric attack submarines will be equipped with an anti-ship missile, which has a proven record in combat, besides other weapon systems. In May this year, the navy successfully test-fired an anti-ship missile from INS Kalvari. The second Scorpene submarine, INS Khanderi will be commissioned by mid-2018, with the third INS Karanj by early 2019.