INS Kalvari, first of six Scorpene-class submarines, commissioned to Indian Navy

Kalvari, the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines handed over by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited has been commissioned into the Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It should be noted that the addition of Kalvari will be a significant boost to the Indian Navy. 

In the flagging off ceremony, Prime Minister Modi lauded the ‘Make in India’ initiative by the Government and thanked the Mazagon Dock authorities for their efforts in building the iconic submarine. Kalvari and the other five which will be commissioned later will serve the Navy for a minimum of 30 years. Further, the Prime Minister also listed out the contributions of his government in terms of uplifting India’s defence capabilities and also spoke about India’s contributions in the fight against terrorism.

The Kalvari is named after the dreaded tiger shark and is a Scorpene class submarine which is capable of launching deep water and stealth attacks on enemies. This new class of submarine will help India country foreign forces, especially China in the wake of mounting tensions between the two nations. The Prime Minister praised the Indian Navy as well as the Indian Army for handling the Kashmir situation adeptly, he also said that more than 200 terrorists have been killed in the year in the Valley and there have been lesser incidents of stone pelting recorded in J&K.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba, Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding of the Western Naval Command, and other top defence officials attended the commissioning ceremony. An official mentioned that the Kalvari underwent around 120 days of extensive sea trials and tests for various equipment. This vessel is expected to bolster India’s maritime prowess. The submarines have been designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS, and are being built by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai as a part of the Project 75 of Indian Navy.

An official of the MDL mentioned that the technology utilized in the Scorpene has ensured superior stealth features like advanced acoustic silencing techniques, hydrodynamically optimized shape, low radiated noise levels and an ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy by using precision-guided weapons. Kalvari is named after the dreaded tiger shark which is a deadly deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean. On 8th December 1967, the first Kalvari was commissioned which was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy and it was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after about three decades of service.