Indian Navy gets 3rd Scorpene class submarine
MUMBAI: The Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) on Monday delivered the third Scorpene-class submarine to the navy after two years of sea trials. The submarine was launched in January 2018 for sea trials and will be commissioned as INS Karanj, said a naval officer.
MDL chairman and managing director Vice Admiral Narayan Prasad (retired) and Rear Admiral B Sivakumar, Western Naval Command’s chief of staff officer (technical), signed the acceptance document.
INS Karanj is India’s third of the six Scorpene-class submarines with superior stealth and combat capabilities. The dieselelectric attack submarine has been built under MDL’S Project-75 in collaboration with a French firm. The first such submarine INS Kalvari was launched in October 2015 and commissioned in December 2017, five years behind the schedule. The second, INS Khanderi, was launched in January 2017 for sea trials and commissioned in September 2019.
Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious missions like anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare as well as intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance, etc. They are designed to operate in all theatres, with means provided to ensure interoperability. “Two SSK submarines built by MDL in 1992 and 1994 are in service after more than 25 years, a clear testimony of MDL’S quality of construction. MDL has achieved expertise in submarine refits by executing medium Refit-cumupgradation of all the four SSK class submarines of the Indian Navy,” said an MDL statement.