2 warships, submarine all set to be commissioned on Jan 15

In a landmark in indigenous ship-building capabilities, the Navy will commission two frontline warships and a Kalvari-class submarine in one day. The Navy will commission stealth frigate Nilgiri, stealth destroyer Surat and submarine Vaghsheer at the naval dockyard in Mumbai on January 15.

The Nilgiri is the first warship made using ‘integrated construction’ technique.

Integrated construction entails various parts of a ship, particularly its hull, superstructure and internal systems, getting designed to be manufactured in separate blocks of 250 tonnes each. Each block is built with precision to allow cabling and piping to pass through when two sets of blocks are aligned and welded together seamlessly. This technique accelerates the speed of making warships. The Nilgiri incorporates stealth features and reduced radar signatures.

The stealth destroyer, Surat, is part of the Visakhapatnam class. Three sister ships of the class — the INS Visakhapatnam, INS Mormugao and INS Imphal — have already been commissioned. Both ships – Nilgiri and Surat — were designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and are equipped with advanced sensors and weapon packages developed primarily in India or through strategic collaborations with leading global manufacturers.

Equipped with modern aviation facilities, the Nilgiri and Surat can operate a range of helicopters and include specific accommodations to house women officers and sailors.

The third commissioning on that day would be of the sixth and last of Kalvari-class submarine. The vessels are made under collaboration by the Naval Group of France and the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), Mumbai.

The Kalvari class is conventional diesel-electric powered submarine known for its ‘silent’ undersea operations. It is designed to undertake a wide range of missions, including anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, area surveillance and special operations. It is armed with wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and advanced sonar systems.

The submarine also features modular construction, allowing for future upgrades such as the integration of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology, which allows a submarine to stay underwater for longer periods. On December 30, 2024, the Ministry of Defence signed a contract of Rs 1,990 crore for future addition of AIP technology to the Kalvari class.