Indian Navy to induct second Scorpene sub by early May.

The Indian Navy is scheduled to induct its second Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Khanderi, by early May, according to a defense source. As for the third Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Karanj, it appears to be in advanced stage of trials and could also be ready this year.

A Indian Scorpene-class submarine (Picture source : Naval Group)

“Khanderi has completed all trials and is in the final stages of acceptance. It is expected to be commissioned into the Navy by end April or early May,” the defense source said. Khanderi was launched into water in January 2017 and has since been undergoing a series of trials.

The third in the Scorpene series, ths INS Karanj, which was launched in January last year is in advanced stage of trials and could be ready for induction by year end. As for the fourth submarine, the INS Vela, it is said to be ready to be launched into waters for trials, depending on Ocean tide.

The last two submarines Vagir and Vagsheer are in advanced stages of manufacturing on the assembly line. The fifth submarine is in the final stages of being booted together. The ‘Boot Together’ is where the five separate sections are welded together to form the submarine.

Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai, is manufacturing six Scorpene submarines under technology transfer from Naval Group of France under a 2005 contract worth $3.75 bn. After a series of delays in the project, the first submarine of the class Kalvari joined service in December 2017. The entire project is expected to be completed by 2020.

As a reminder, the state-of- the-art technology utilised for construction of the Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons. The attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface. The stealth of this potent platform is enhanced by the special attention given to various signatures. These stealth features give it an invulnerability, unmatched by most submarines.

Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, with means provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force. It is a potent platform, marking a generational shift in submarine operations.