The Indian Navy's long wait of nearly two decades to have a new conventional submarine will end on Thursday when Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicates the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines to the nation.
Named after the feared deep sea predator Tiger Shark of the Indian Ocean, the Kalvari, designed by French naval defence and energy company Naval Group (previously known as DCNS) and built at Mazagon Dock Limited, will join the Indian Navy fleet at its Mumbai-based Western Naval Command.
The strength of the Indian Navy's submarine fleet has dwindled from a total of 21 submarines in the 1980s to 13 conventional submarines plus one home-made Arihant-class nuclear submarine and one Russian Akula-class nuclear submarine operating on lease. And the matter raises serious concerns when we compare it with our neighbour China, which has a fleet strength of 65 subs.
And to make the matter more alarming, the Indian Navy is operating with only half of its submarine fleet at any given point, as most of the vessels are in the final stage of their operational life and are on mid-life upgrades. The Navy got its last conventional submarine, INS Sidhushastra, in July 2000.
The commissioning of the Kalvari submarine becomes crucial in the backdrop of China opening its first naval base at Djibouti, at the western end of the Indian Ocean, and its recent submarine sales to Pakistan and Bangladesh, apart from the visit of a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine to Karachi dockyard last year.
Commissioning of the submarine Kalvari will not only enhance the Navy's underwater capabilities but will be a big leap towards Indian self-reliance in the defence sector, and it will be the first major project under the 'Make in India' initiative. The Navy got it last Indian-made submarines in the early 1990s when two HDW-class submarines, INS Shalki and INS Shankul, joined the fleet.
According to naval sources, Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Western Naval Headquarters at 8:30am on Thursday morning and will witness the flag hoisting of the submarine, which marks the formal induction of a warship into the fleet. After spending nearly 75 minutes at the venue, PM Modi will fly to his home state, Gujarat, to cast his vote in the second and last phase of the state Assembly poll.
Due to the model code of conduct being in place for the elections, the NDA government decided to keep the event at a low-intensity level, despite it being the first defence project to showcase the Make-in-India theme. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba, along with with other dignitaries, will be present on the occasion; Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would also be present.
The agreement to build six submarines in India was signed in 2006 between DCNS and Mazagon Dock Limited under the Indian Navy’s $3 billion Project-75. But the project witnessed repeated delays, as it was scheduled to deliver the first submarine by 2012.
India got its first of eight Foxtrot-class submarines, also known as INS Kalvari, on December 8, 1967 when it was commissioned at the then Soviet Union’s naval base of Riga in Latvia.
The Scorpene-class submarine is designed to operate in all theatres including the tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force. It can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine: anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.
The 66-metre-long submarine is made of a special kind of high-tensile steel, which ensures that the warship can withstand high-yield stress, allowing it to dive deeper. The submarine can operate at a depth of 300 metres underwater and travel 1,020km underwater. It can carry 18 torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles underwater or from the surface.
"The stealth features give it invulnerability, unmatched by many submarines,"a naval officer explains.
After Kalvari, two other submarines of same Scorpene class, Khanderi and Karanj, are also on their way to join the Indian Navy; both are undergoing trials and development.
