5th Kalvari-class submarine Vagir commissioned
Mumbai, India - The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned INS Vagir the fifth submarine of Project 75 Kalvari class at the naval dockyard in Mumbai in presence of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar.
Launched and named ‘Vagir’ on November 12, 2020, the submarine in its new avatar has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines to date. Vagir undertook her maiden sea sortie in February 2022, marking the commencement of sea trials and has gone through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and stringent and demanding sea trials prior to being commissioned, according to the defence ministry.
The submarine was delivered to Indian Navy by MDL on December 20, 2022.
Vagir will boost the Indian Navy’s capability to further India’s maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions.
“Vagir is a lethal platform with a formidable weapon package. Vagir is the third submarine inducted into the Navy in a span of 24 months. It is also a shining testimony to the expertise of our shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms,” said Admiral Hari Kumar.
Coxswain of the fifth Kalvari submarine Daljinder Singh on Saturday said that the submarine is ready to face any threat if war breaks out between India and China.
While talking to ANI, Singh said: “This submarine is the latest technology of the Indian Navy. It is a silent submarine. It has good anti-submarine weapons like the advanced version of mines. It has advanced versions of combat and advanced version of sonar, and radar systems.
“All the technology used in the submarine is Indian. If there is a war between India and China, then we are ready to face it,” Singh said.
While Commanding Officer CDR Divakar S told ANI: “INS Vagir can be deployed both closer to the shore as well as mid-ocean. It will be ready to meet all the requirements of the Navy and the country. It is a big step towards becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat. This is the fifth Kalvari class submarine.”