Indian Navy to commission Scorpene class submarine INS Vela on Thursday

The Indian Navy on Wednesday said it will commission INS Vela, its fourth stealth Scorpene class submarine under Project 75, on Thursday, an induction that will boost its combat capability.

Project 75 includes construction of six submarines of Scorpene design. Three of these submarines - Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj - have already been commissioned. The Indian Navy's fourth stealth Scorpene class submarine, INS Vela, is geared to get commissioned on 25th November 2021, the Navy said in a statement. The submarine has been built by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in collaboration with M/s Naval Group of France.

The previous avatar of INS Vela was commissioned on August 31, 1973 and it rendered yeoman service to the nation for 37 eventful years before being decommissioned on June 25, 2010.

The new 'Vela' is a potent man o' war and is capable of offensive operations that span across the entire spectrum of maritime warfare, the statement said. Induction of the submarine consolidates the Indian Navy's position as a builder's Navy significantly and adds sharpness and strength to its combat capability, it added. On Sunday, Indian Navy's stealth guided missile destroyer Visakhapatnam was commissioned in Mumbai. The indigenously-built warship is packed with an array of missiles and anti-submarine rockets.