NEW DELHI: Giving a major boost to Navy's underwater combat capabilities, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will commission the second Kalvari class submarine INS Khanderi in Mumbai on September 28.
The Defence Minister will proceed to Goa from there to spend a day on aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya September 29.
INS Khanderi was launched in August 2017. The state-of-the-art features of this Scorpene class submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons.
The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface. The Stealth features will give it an invulnerability, unmatched by many submarines. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, including the tropics.
All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force. It can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine i.e. anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance.
Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.
INS Kalvari is the first of the six Scorpene-class submarines built under Project 75. The Submarine was commissioned on December 14, 2017.