India Navy to commission fifth Scorpene-class submarine Vagir on Jan 23

New Delhi, January 19

The Indian Navy will commission the fifth Scorpene-class submarine Vagir on January 23, officials said on Thursday.

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

Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar will grace the induction ceremony as the Chief Guest.

India has been working on bolstering 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.

The Project-75 includes indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design.

The submarines are being constructed at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai under a collaboration with the Naval Group of France.

Four of the Kalvari-class submarines have already been commissioned into the Indian Navy.

The erstwhile Vagir was commissioned on November 1, 1973, and undertook numerous operational missions including deterrent patrols. The submarine was decommissioned in January 2001 after serving the nation for about three decades.

“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,” said an official.

She undertook her maiden sea sortie in February last year, marking the commencement of sea trials and has gone through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and stringent and demanding sea trials.

The submarine was delivered to the Indian Navy by the MDL on December 20.

“Vagir will boost the Indian Navy’s capability to further India’s maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions,” said the official.