2nd Scorpene-class submarine 'Khanderi' to be commissioned on Sep 28

India's second Scorpene-class submarine INS Khanderi that has superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack with torpedoes will be commissioned into service by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 28 in Mumbai, the Navy said on Tuesday.

Interacting with reporters here, Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, the vice chief of the Navy, also said that INS Nilgiri, the first ship of the the P17A frigates, would be launched on the occasion and an aircraft carrier drydock would be inaugurated by the minister.

He said with the commissioning of 'Khanderi' and launch of 'Nilgriri', the combat potential of Navy will "go up many fold".

Also, the aircraft carrier drydock, housed within the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, is capable of docking India's largest ship, INS Vikramaditya, and has the ability to maintain ships for decades to come, Kumar said.

"The three events lined up for September 28 are in line with our Prime Minister's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region)," Kumar told reporters.

INS Khanderi, the second Scorpene-class submarine that can attack with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles whilst underwater or on surface, was launched at the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai in January 2017.

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.

"After commissioning of Khanderi and launch of Nilgirl by Defence Minister's wife and inauguration of the drydock on September 28, the minister has plans for spending a day at sea with navy onboard INS Vikramditya.

"That will be on September 28 evening and forenoon of September 29. He will witness all naval actions including missile firing and various other exercises at sea before disembarking and returning to Delhi," the vice chief of Navy said.

Kumar said any ship or submarine building is a huge challenge involving technological challenges and the complexity of the platform means a number of MSMEs and other companies are involved in ensuring successful completion of its construction.

"This has a huge plough back effect on our economy and in fact, at present our 51 ships are under construction in various shipyards in India and abroad and 49 of these are with Indian shipyards," he added.

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.

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.

The first Kalvari, commissioned on December 8, 1967, was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996 after nearly three decades of service.

The first Scorpene in the series is named after the first Kalvari of the Navy.

The state-of-the-art features of this Kalvari-class Scorpene submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch attacks on the enemy using 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 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 and area surveillance.