- Vela, the fourth of Indian Navy’s stealth Scorpene class Submarines of Project 75 was launched on May 6, 2019 at the Kanhoji Angre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Limited at Mumbai in Maharashtra.
- The submarine has been named ‘Vela’ after an earlier submarine, which was the lead submarine, of the erstwhile Vela class, the second batch of the Foxtrot class submarines acquired from erstwhile USSR.
- The steel cutting for this submarine commenced in July 2009. The submarine has completed joining of all its sections.
- The launch ceremony also signifies that four submarines of this project would be afloat and soon join the Navy’s submarine fleet.
- The submarines are being built at Mazagon Dock Limited, with the main collaborator being Naval group, France.
- Presently Eight Warships and five submarines are under construction at MDL. MDL is one of the India’s leading shipyards with a capacity to meet requirements of the Indian Navy.
- The Scorpene class of submarines can undertake multifarious tasks typically undertaken by any modern submarine which include anti-surface as well as anti-submarine warfare. The transfer of technology involves appropriate technical support by Naval Group to MDL in the field of construction, integration and tests of the submarines in India which is achieved through transfer of technical data package to MDL through information system as well as on job training to MDL’s personnel on critical technologies.
- Leveraging the experience and the transfer-of-technology of the Scorpene project, with enhanced and upgraded infrastructure, MDL, is ready for undertaking construction of the future submarines.
