Delhi, 9 January (H.S.): The sixth Scorpene class submarine of indigenously built Project 75, INS Vagsheer, was handed over to the Navy on Thursday, which will be inducted into the Indian fleet on January 15. Mumbai's shipyard Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) created history today with the delivery of the submarine. The submarine has been built with state-of-the-art technology and under the 'Make in India' initiative of the Government of India, which is equipped with heavy sensors and weapons for all types of lethal attacks.
INS Vagsheer (S 26) is the sixth and last submarine of the first batch of six Kalvari class submarines for the Indian Navy. It is a diesel-electric attack submarine based on the Scorpene class, designed by French naval defence and energy group Naval Group and built by Mumbai-based shipyard Mazagon Dock Limited. The delivery document for the submarine to the Navy was signed today by MDL CMD Sanjeev Singhal and CSO (Technical) Rear Admiral R. Adhi Srinivasan in the presence of senior Indian Navy officials. The delivery of this submarine is a testimony to MDL's professionalism, expertise and experience in building complex combat platforms, which significantly enhance the strength of the Indian Navy.
With the delivery of this indigenously built submarine, MDL has strengthened its position as the only shipyard in the country to have the proven capability to build conventional submarines by completing the P75 project. It has the capability to evade enemy radars, conduct area surveillance, gather intelligence, launch a devastating attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons with up to 18 torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles simultaneously under water or on the surface. This stealth technology enabled Kalvari class submarine is 221 feet long, 40 feet high. Its speed is 20 km per hour on the surface of the sea and 37 km per hour below. It has a submergence limit of 350 meters underwater for 50 days.
INS Vagsheer is named after the sand fish, a predatory fish living in the deep seas of the Indian Ocean. The submarine is designed to operate in all operation theaters and is interoperable with other components of the naval task force. The submarine Vagsheer will have a displacement of 1,600 tonnes, equipped with heavy sensors and weapons for all lethal strikes. It is designed to carry out a variety of missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and special operations.
Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
