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on Feb 16, 2021)NEW DELHI: The country’s third diesel-electric Scorpene submarine, which will be commissioned as INS Karanj next month, was delivered to the Navy by Mazagon Docks (MDL) on Monday.
Under the over Rs 23,000 crore ‘Project-75’ under way at MDL for construction of six French-origin Scorpene submarines, the Navy has commissioned two vessels, INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi, till now. The fourth submarine called Vela, which was launched in May 2019, has now commenced its sea trials, while the fifth, Vagir, was launched last November. The sixth, Vagsheer, in turn, is currently in an advanced stage of construction.
Though the Scorpene project has faced huge time and cost overruns, it is critical for the Navy since it currently has just 12 other ageing diesel-electric submarines, with just half of them operational at any given time.
India also has two nuclear-powered submarines, INS Arihant and INS Chakra, but the latter does not have nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles because it has been acquired on lease from Russia.
India needs at least 18 conventional submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) and four nuclear powered submarines with nuclear-tipped missiles.
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