New Delhi, Dec 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has commissioned scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari into the Indian Navy in Mumbai today.
"This is a fine example of the fast growing strategic partnership between India and France," said PM Modi while dedicating the submarine to the nation.
Named after the first Foxtort-class submarine, INS Kalvari was inducted into the Navy on December 8, 1967. The commissioning of its indigenous version comes days after the force observed the golden jubilee of its submarine wing.
The Scorpenes are being built by the Mazagaon Dockyard Ltd here under Project 75 with transfer of technology from a foreign collaborator -- DCNS of France.
The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpenes include superior stealth and ability to launch crippling attacks with precision-guided weapons.
The attacks can be carried out with torpedoes both while submerged or on the surface -- in all war theatres including the tropics, giving it an unmatched invulnerability.
The second Scorpene submarine, INS Khanderi, is currently undergoing trials and is likely to be inducted into the Navy soon.
The "boot together" of the submarine, wherein the five separate sections were welded into one, was completed on July 30, 2014. Kalvari is the first Indian naval vessel to be built using this modular approach of construction.
First put to sea on May 1, 2016, Kalvari has since undergone a comprehensive trial schedule to validate her capability to float, move and fight.
The submarine has an overall length of 67.5 metre and a height of about 12.3 metres. The hull form, fin and hydroplanes are specifically designed to produce minimum underwater resistance.
The boat has 360 battery cells, each weighing 750 kg, to power the extremely silent Permanently Magnetised Propulsion Motor. The stealth of the boat is further enhanced through the mounting of equipment inside the pressure hull on shock absorbing cradles.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding of the Western Naval Command, were also present at the occasion.
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