INDIA. Mumbai: INS Vagir, the fifth submarine of the Kalvari Class, built by Mazagon Dock Builders Limited (MDL) with technology transfer from France, was commissioned at the Indian Naval Dockyard in South Mumbai in a ceremony attended by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar on Monday.
In his address, Admiral R. Hari Kumar said that “Vagir is a lethal platform with a formidable weapon package.” “She is the third submarine inducted into the Indian Navy in a span of 24 months, and it was a shining testimony to the expertise of India’s shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms.”
“It is a tradition in the Indian Navy that old ships and submarines never die, and in keeping with that spirit, the submarine in front of us is a reincarnation of the erstwhile “Vagir,” which served India and the Indian Navy for three decades,” Admiral Kumar said.
The Kalvari-class submarines are being built in India by the MDL, Mumbai, in collaboration with Naval Group, France.
“The submarine will boost the Indian Navy’s capability to further India’s maritime interests by deterring the enemy and conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to provide a decisive blow in times of crisis,” the Indian Navy’s statement read.
A formal pooja was performed before the commissioning of the submarine, even as the sound of Tutari, the trumpet of the Maratha tradition, filled the air.
Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, WNC Vice Admiral A B Singh, CMD MDL Narayan Prasad, Admiral (Retd) K R Menon, and other officers and MDL staff members in large numbers were present on the occasion.
INS Vagir has the capability of launching marine commandos for a special Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), while its powerful diesel engines can quickly charge batteries for a stealth mission.
“For self-defense, it has a state-of-the-art torpedo decoy system,” the Navy statement added.
The submarine is equipped with some of the best sensors in the world. Her weapons package includes sufficient wire-guided torpedoes and sub-surface to surface missiles to neutralise a large enemy fleet.
She is capable of undertaking diverse missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, minelaying, and surveillance missions.
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 till date.
She undertook her maiden sea sortie in February 2022, marking the commencement of sea trials, and went through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and stringent and demanding sea trials prior to being commissioned.
The submarine was delivered to the Indian Navy by M/s MDL on December 20,2022.
“Vagir” means sand shark, a deadly deep-sea predator of the Indian Ocean, which represents stealth and fearlessness, two qualities synonymous with the ethos of a submariner.
The erstwhile “Vagir” was commissioned on November 1, 1973, and undertook numerous operational missions, including deterrent patrols.
She was decommissioned on January 7, 2001, after serving the nation for about three decades.
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