India’s first Scorpene-class submarine starts sea trials

Indian Navy’s first Scorpene-class submarine, INS Kalvari, went to sea for the first time on May 1.

The submarine sailed out under her own propulsion for the first sea trial, off the Mumbai coast and during the sortie, completed a number of preliminary tests on the propulsion system, auxiliary equipment and systems, navigation aids, communication equipment and steering gear.

The submarine subsequently returned to harbor in the evening.

During the next few months, the submarine will undergo a number of sea trials, including surface trials, diving trials, weapon trials and noise trials among others.

Thereafter she is expected to be commissioned into the Indian Navy as INS Kalvari later this year.

Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd Mumbai (MDL), supported by the French company DCNS through a ‘transfer of technology’ agreement, is building six Scorpene-class submarines for the Indian Navy.

The submarine was undocked on pontoon on April 6, 2015 and launched at the Naval Dockyard on Oct 28, 2015 and thereafter brought back to MDL for completion of the basin trials and harbor acceptance trials phase.