Indian Navy’s 5th stealth Scorpene class Submarine INS Vagir was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 23 Jan 2023 at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai.
Key points
- Six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.
- INS Vagir would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of the Command’s arsenal.
- Vagir was launched on 12 Nov 20, under Project 75 (P75) and was delivered to Indian Navy on 20 Dec 22 post completion of sea trials.
- Vagir has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date.
- The Scorpene Submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.
- These submarine have a state of the art SONAR suite and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities.
- The Sand Shark represents ‘Stealth and Fearlessness’, two qualities that are synonymous with the ethos of a submariner.
- The motto of the submarine, ‘Saahas Shaurya Samarpan’ epitomizes the core values of Courage, Valour and Dedication.
- Project-75, signed in 2005, includes indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene (diesel- electric) design. Four of them, Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, and Vela have already been delivered to Navy and commissioned. INS Vagsheer will be commissioned in late 2023.
