Navy's 2nd Scorpene-class submarine to be commissioned

More than two and half years after it was released in the water, the second Scorpene-class submarine INS Khanderi is set to be commissioned in the Indian Navy later this month.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would be the chief guest at the commissioning ceremony scheduled in Mumbai on September 28, sources said.

Khanderi was launched (released in water) in January 2017 with a target of commissioning the boat by 2017 end. But nearly 33 months have elapsed before it is found fit for commissioning.

Indian Navy currently operates 16 submarines including two nuclear powered under-water boats. In comparison, the People Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has fleet of more than 60 submarines, both nuclear and conventional combined.

“The Scorpene-class submarines has 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. The stealth features give them invulnerability, unmatched by most submarines,” the Defence Ministry had stated last year.

Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.

The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres and capable to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force. It is a potent platform, marking a generational shift in submarine operations.

The first of the Scorpene class submarine, INS Kalvari was commissioned in the service in December 2017. Two other submarines Karanj (launched in January 2018) and Vela (May 2019) are currently undergoing various trials.

The last two Scorpene submarines - Vagir and Vagsheer - are to be handed over to the Navy by 2020, even though their induction may have to wait for a few more months.

Way back in 1999, Indian Navy planned to acquire 24 diesel-electric submarines over the next 30 years. The plan was modified twice later to incorporate nuclear-powered submarines and the deadlines were changed. But the Navy is way off the mark even for the targets set up in the 2008-2022 indigenisation plan.

Only in June 2019, the Navy issued an “Expression of Interest” for the construction of six more diesel-electric submarines in a Rs 45,000 crore project.

In comparison, the first six Scorpene submarines built at Mazgaon dock with technology transfer from France had an initial budget of Rs 18,798 crore, but it has now gone up to more than Rs 23,000 crore.