Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Thursday dedicate to the nation the indigenously-constructed submarine INS Kalvari in Mumbai. Following this induction, five other submarines now under construction at Mazagon Docks limited, Mumbai will be commissioned into the Navy at an interval of nine months each. The entire fleet of these submarines will be fully functional by the end of 2020.
These submarines are built in collaboration with France and the entire deal is worth over Rs 25,000 crore. The contract to build diesel-powered submarines was signed in 2005 and construction of first Scorpene class submarine INS Kalvari started in 2006. The project was marred by delays as this submarine was initially supposed to be commissioned in2012.
Once the entire fleet of these submarines joins service, the Navy will have at least 20 conventional submarines. At present, the Service has 14 submarines with nearly half of them in the last leg of their operational life. The Navy has now floated a global tender for building six more submarines in India in collaboration with a foreign manufacturer under the newly introduced Strategic Partnership policy. The estimated cost of the proposed submarine project is more than Rs 50,000 crore.
Officials said INS Kalvari is the most potent platform to have been constructed in India. Kalvari is capable of undertaking offensive operations spanning across the entire spectrum of Maritime Warfare. She embodies cutting edge technology and compares favourably with the best in the world. She has an overall length of 67.5 metres and a height of about 12.3 metres.
The Boat's undersea warfare capability comprises a cluster of advanced weapons and sensors. integrated into the Submarine Tactical Integrated Combat System (SUBTICS). The submarine boasts of a highly advanced Combat Management System and a resensophisticated Integrated Platform Management System.
Incidentally, the submarine is named after the first submarine to be inducted into the Indian Navy 50 years back. The submarine arm last week celebrated its golden jubilee and supreme commander of the armed forces Ramnath Kovind presented Presidential Colours to the unit.