MUMBAI: India's second Kalvari-class Submarine INS 'Khanderi' was on Saturday commissioned into the Indian Navy in a ceremony held at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present during the event, commissioned the submarine into the Indian Navy.
"The name Khanderi is inspired by the dreaded 'Sword Tooth Fish,' a deadly fish known to hunt whilst swimming close to the bottom of the ocean. Khanderi is also the name of an island fort constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was one of the few medieval rulers in the country who understood the significance of Naval supremacy," Singh said at the event.
The Defense Minister in his speech also said that he would stay on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for a day and night today.
Khanderi is the second of the Navy's six Kalvari-class submarines built in India. It is a diesel-electric attack submarine which is designed by French naval defence and energy company DCNS which is being manufactured at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai.
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.
Singh also praised India's collaboration with France in building the INS Khanderi.
"Pakistan should understand that today with the strong resolve of our government and advancement in naval capacity with additions like INS Khanderi, we are capable of giving a much bigger blow to it," Singh said at an event here.
Lauding the name given to the Kalvari-class submarine, Rajnath said, "The name Khanderi is inspired by the dreaded 'Sword Tooth Fish,' a deadly fish known to hunt whilst swimming close to the bottom of the ocean. Khanderi is also the name of an island fort constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. He was one of the few medieval rulers in the country who understood the significance of Naval supremacy."
It is a diesel-electric attack submarine which is designed by French naval defense and energy company DCNS which is being manufactured at Mazagon Dock in Mumbai.
"Our special partnership with French naval will touch new heights. The construction of the submarine is benefiting industries indirectly, through the Make in India program. Our government is alert to the needs of our defense forces and we are committed to fulfilling it," he said.
The Defense Minister in his speech also said that he would stay on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya for today.
He also hailed the work done by the Indian Navy in ridding the sea routes of piracy and added about the upcoming additions to its capabilities.
"Our Navy has done great work in the eradication of Piracy in waters. When sea routes are secured, the impact can be seen on the trade of that region. The Nilgiri ship is also going to be launched and world-class aircraft carrier dock will also be inaugurated soon," Singh said.
The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned into the Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2017.
On the occasion, Modi had said Kalvari was an excellent example of 'Make in India' and will boost the Navy's might.
A contract with French company Naval Group (earlier called DCNS) was signed in 2005 for the supply of six submarines.
In January 2017, Khanderi, the second Scorpene-class submarine was launched into the waters.
The submarines, designed by the French naval defence and energy company, are being built by Mazagon Dock Ltd in Mumbai as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.
According to senior Navy officials, the cost of the Scorpene project now stands at around Rs 25,000 crore, while the cost of the seven frigates under P-17A is over Rs 48,000 crore.
Asked about the issues faced by 'Khanderi', Kumar had said all those "have been resolved" and certain sea acceptance trials are going, and "we expect those to be completed before commissioning".
The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpene-class submarine include superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using a precision-guided weapon.
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 of communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force.
It can undertake multifarious missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine, that is anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.
The remaining four submarines in the Scorpene-class are -- 'Karanj', 'Vela', 'Vagir' and 'Vagsheer'.