Indian Navy’s 4th Scorpene-class submarine commissioned

INS Vela, the fourth submarine in the series of six submarines of Project-75, was commissioned on 25 November at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

The Scorpene-class submarines are being built in India by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group (earlier DCNS), France.

The commissioning of the fourth in-class submarine is a major milestone, according to the navy officials. INS Vela would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of its arsenal.

The vessel was delivered to the Indian Navy two weeks ago.

The Scorpene submarines are said to be among the most advanced conventional submarines in the world. More deadly and stealthier than their predecessors, these submarines are equipped with potent weapons and sensors to neutralize any threat above or below the sea surface.

Scorpene-class units are 67.5 meters long with a height of about 12.3 meters. They are fitted with 360 battery cells (each weighing 750 kg) powering the permanently magnetized propulsion motor.

Equipped with the submarine tactical integrated combat system (SUBTICS), sea-skimming SM 39 Exocet missiles or the heavyweight wire-guided surface and underwater target (SUT) torpedoes, they can undertake multifarious tasks which include anti-surface as well as anti­ submarine warfare.

The first submarine from the batch, INS Kalvari, was commissioned in December 2017 and the second, INS Khanderi, in September 2019.

The third unit INS Karanj was commissioned 8 months ago.

The commissioning is part of the navy’s fleet expansion strategy. Currently, the Indian Navy has 39 naval ships and submarines which are being constructed at various shipyards, according to the navy officials.