Indian Navy gets 5th Scorpene-class submarine Vagir

The Indian Navy on Tuesday received the fifth scorpene-class submarine Vagir ahead of its planned commissioning next month, officials said.

The induction of the submarine, built under Project-75, is set to bolster the Indian Navy's combat capability at a time when China has been increasing its presence in the Indian Ocean region.

In a related development, 'Arnala', the first of anti-submarine warfare corvette being built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers for the Indian Navy, was launched on Tuesday in Chennai.

India has been focusing on shoring up its maritime capability with a focus on the Indian Ocean in the backdrop of concerns over China's growing forays into the region, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy.

Project-75 includes the indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. The submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai in collaboration with the Naval Group of France.

"Launched on Nov 12, 2020, Vagir commenced the sea trials from February 1 and it is a matter of great pride that she has completed all major trials including the weapon and sensor trials in the shortest time in comparison to the earlier submarines," Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

"Submarine construction is an intricate activity as the difficulty is compounded when all equipment are required to be miniaturised and are subject to stringent quality requirements," he said.

Commander Madhwal said the construction of these submarines in an Indian yard is another step towards 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat'. He said the submarine would shortly be commissioned into the Indian Navy.

On the launch of 'Arnala', the Navy said the name has been chosen to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala (located about 13 km north of Vasai, Maharashtra) by the great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

"The Arnala class of ships will replace the Abhay class anti-submarine warfare ships of the Indian Navy and are designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO) including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters," it said.

On Sunday, the Navy commissioned the indigenously built guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao.