The sixth Scorpene class submarine, constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited for the Indian Navy, was launched in Mumbai.
Christened 'Vela', the submarine was launched on May 6, 2019, and has completed all major harbour and sea trials including weapon and sensor trials despite COVID-19-induced restrictions, the Navy said.
India has commissioned its new indigenously-built nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine INS Aridaman into service, further strengthening the naval component of its nuclear triad. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also highlighted the Indian Navy's role in securing maritime trade routes.
INS Udaygiri and INS Himagiri marks the first occasion when two frontline surface combatants constructed at two different shipyards were commissioned simultaneously.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, whose wife Sudesh launched the warship, was the chief guest at the ceremony.
INS Surat is the Indian Navy's first AI enabled warship.
It will undergo a number of tests by the Indian Navy before it gets commissioned in the defence fleet.
For the navy, which is making do with just 14 conventional submarines against a requirement of 24, the INS Khanderi delay extends a dangerous operational void.
The development marks a major milestone in Indian Navy's submarine programme as the vessel is expected to bolster India's maritime prowess
The submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai in collaboration with the Naval Group of France.
Equipped with some of the best sensors in the world, its weapons package include sufficient wire guided torpedoes and sub-surface to surface missiles to neutralise a large enemy fleet, the Navy said.
The country's first indigenously designed and built warship Godavari will be decommissioned on Wednesday in Mumbai, thirty-two years after it was commissioned into the Indian Navy.
AIP or Air Independent Propulsion system allows the vessel to stay underwater for a longer duration.
The Navy commander also said that as many as 39 naval ships and submarines are currently being constructed in various Indian shipyards that are expected to significantly boost India's maritime prowess.
INS Karanj is the third Kalavari-class submarine to be commissioned into the Navy. The diesel-electric submarines based on the Scorpene design are also referred as Scorpene class submarines.
HAL, BEL and MDL feature on Sipri's list of the 100 largest arms producers in the world.
Singh said the warship's commissioning will boost India's maritime power.
An official said that there were stringent norms at MDL on data security.
The state-of-the-art features of this Scorpene class submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapon.
This is the fourth of the six submarines the Indian Navy is to induct under the Kalvari-class submarine Project-75.
It is the first warship to have been named after a city from the Northeastern region, the approval for which was accorded by the President in April 2019.
New Delhi had proposed during the 2+2 dialogue in April that the US navy could avail of the services and expertise of Indian shipyards.
The leaked documents include details of submarine's underwater sensors, above-water sensors, combat management system, torpedo launch system and specifications, communications system and navigation systems.
The defence ministry has lost sight of what it intended to achieve -- which was to nurture private defence firms that would compete on equal terms with the 9 defence PSUs and the 41 Ordnance Factory Board factories.
Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba's wife Reena Lanba launched the submarine, which has been constructed by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
The status of the current submarine force level is alarming and we need to address the threat perceptions expeditiously. Critical decisions pertaining to national security cannot be delayed any further due to the rapidly changing maritime threat perceptions and growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, asserts Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
The navy's plan to build three Russian Talwar-class frigates has a less than wholesome odour.
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