Page 31 - Indian Navy

Submarine INS Vagir commissioned, set to give boost to Navy's special ops

INS Vagir, the fifth submarine of the Kalvari Class submarines, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Monday, giving a boost to the force's prowess. INS Vagir, which has been built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited here with technology transfer from France, was commissioned in a ceremony attended by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar. "The submarine will boost the Indian Navy's capability to further India's maritime interests in deterring the enemy, and conducting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) to provide decisive blow in the times of crisis," the Navy said. 'Vagir' means sand shark, which represents stealth and fearlessness, two qualities synonymous with the ethos of a submariner, it said. Equipped with some of the best sensors in the world, its weapons package include sufficient wire guided torpedoes and sub-surface to surface missiles to neutralise a large enemy fleet, the Navy said. The submarine also has the capability of launching marine ...

Woman naval air operations officer to lead Navy contingent at R-Day parade

Lt Commander Disha Amrith, a woman naval air operations official posted at a strategic base, will lead the Indian Navy's Republic Day contingent of 144 young sailors and its tableau will showcase the 'Nari Shakti' in the force. The tableau will also reflect the Navy's focus on remaining a combat ready, credible and cohesive force. Earlier officials said the naval contingent would include some Agniveers, but later clarified that the details were not yet available. Besides Amrith, another woman officer -- Sub Lt Valli Meena S -- will be among the three platoon commanders of the naval contingent. A Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from BMS College of Engineering in Karnataka, 29-year-old Amrith was part of the National Cadet Corps's Republic Day team in 2008 and harboured the dream of being part of the marching contingents of one of the three services at the celebrations in Delhi. "Since 2008, I was nurturing this dream of being part of the Republic Day contingent of the a

21st edition of naval exercise 'Varuna' between India and France begins

Initiated in 1993, the exercise was christened 'Varuna' in 2001 and has become "a hallmark of IndiaFrance strategic bilateral relationship"

Indian naval ship INS Delhi arrives in Sri Lanka's port city of Trincomalee

The Sri Lankan Navy welcomed the Indian naval ship INS Delhi, which arrived in the north-eastern port city of Trincomalee on Sunday, with 390 crew members on board on a two-day official visit. The INS Delhi is 163.2 metre-long, and is the lead ship of her class of guided-missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. It comes days ahead of External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to the island nation, scheduled between January 19 to 20. During the ship's two-day stay, the crew will participate in numerous programmes organised by the Sri Lanka Navy, with a view to promoting cooperation and goodwill between the navies of both the countries. Such naval exercises enable both countries to overcome common maritime challenges, through enhanced cooperation.

India steadily building its naval strength, but the usual challenges remain

Inadequate budgets, delays in placing orders and then in construction, poorly coordinated delivery schedules, and the China factor present manifold challenges for the navy, notes T N Ninan

Indigenously built INS Arnala touches the waters of Bay of Bengal

The Arnala-class is designed to undertake anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low-intensity maritime operations, including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters

Stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao commissioned into Indian Navy

The stealth guided missile destroyer Mormugao was commissioned into the Indian Navy on Sunday. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar and Goa CM Pramod Sawant were among those present at the commissioning ceremony in Mumbai. Singh said the warship's commissioning will boost India's maritime power. He termed INS Mormugao as the most technologically advanced warship. Indian economy is among the top five economies in the world, and according to experts, will be among the top three in 2027, Singh said. The Navy chief said the commissioning of the warship, on the eve of the Goa Liberation Day, is indicative of the large strides taken in warship design and building capability over the last decade. INS Mormugao is the second of the four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indian Navy's in-house organisation, Warship Design Bureau and constructed by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai. Named after the historic port city of Goa on

Six years after entering water, navy's latest destroyer to join the fleet

India building 1-2 capital warships yearly; China builds 6-9

Indian Navy to commission guided missile destroyer INS Mormugao on Sunday

Indigenously-built guided missile destroyer 'INS Mormugao' will be commissioned into the Indian Navy on Sunday, in a boost to its maritime capability amid China's increasing presence in the Indian Ocean region. The warship is packed with a plethora of sophisticated sensors, a modern radar and weapons systems such as surface-to-surface missile and surface-to-air missiles, according to the Indian Navy. The majestic ship measuring 163 metres in length and 17 metres in breadth with a displacement of 7,400 tonnes can be regarded as one of the most potent warships to have been constructed in India, it said. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is scheduled to commission the ship at the naval dockyard in Mumbai. Named after historic Goan port city Mormugao, the ship undertook her first sea sortie on December 19 last year when Goa celebrated 60 years of liberation from the Portuguese rule. INS Mormugao is the second of the four 'Visakhapatnam' class destroyers, indigenously designed by the Indi

Navy Chief R Hari Kumar arrives in Sri Lanka for four-day official visit

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar has been invited as the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer for the Commissioning Parade at the Naval and Maritime Academy

Indian Navy remains futuristic in capability development: President Murmu

Highlighting the role of the Navy in ensuring an umbrella of security for India's national maritime interests, President Murmu said Indian Navy is outcome-oriented in action

Top brass of Defence Forces pay homage at National War Memorial on Navy Day

Top brass of the Indian Armed Forces on Sunday paid homage at the National War Memorial and commemorated the achievement of bombing and destroying Karachi harbour in Operation Trident during the 1971 War against Pakistan, according to the Defence officials.Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari, and Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar were among the officials who paid their homage on the occasion of Navy Day."Commemorating the glorious achievement of bombing & destroying Karachi harbour in Operation TRIDENT during 1971 War, homage was paid by CDS Gen Anil Chauhan, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari and Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar at the National War Memorial," the Defence officials said.New Delhi [India], December 4 (ANI): Top brass of the Indian Armed Forces on Sunday paid homage at the National War Memorial and commemorated the achievement of bombing and destroying Karachi harbour in Operation Trident during the

Indian Navy has steadfastly protected our nation, says PM Modi on Navy Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday extended greetings on Navy Day and said the force has distinguished itself with its humanitarian spirit

Navy to open all branches for women from next year: Chief of Naval Staff

The Indian Navy is looking at opening all its branches for women from next year, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. Addressing a press conference a day ahead of the Navy Day, Admiral Kumar also said that the first batch of around 3,000 'Agniveers' has been inducted and it included 341 women. In December last year, Navy officials said 28 women officers were deployed on board around 15 frontline warships, including aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, and the number is set to go up. "The first batch of Agniveers have already reported. About 3,000 Agniveers have joined out of which 341 are women. This is a landmark event for us because for the first time, the Navy is inducting women sailors. We have been inducting women officers for about the last 16-17 years, but this is for the first time that we are inducting women sailors," Admiral Kumar said. He said the Navy will open all its branches to women officers from next year. "Come next year, we are looking at wo

Next aircraft carrier might also be a small one, says Admiral Kumar

Successive navy chiefs have publicly stated that INS Vishal, the expected name for IAC-2, would be a 65,000-tonne carrier that would embark 55-60 aircraft

Proposed procurement of predator drones from US under process: Navy chief

The case for the proposed procurement of a fleet of Predator drones from the US is under process, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar said on Saturday. The original proposal was to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over USD 3 billion to crank up India's surveillance apparatus along the frontier with China as well as in the Indian Ocean region. "The case for the procurement is under process. We are discussing whether the numbers have to be rationalised," the Navy Chief said while replying to a question at his annual press conference. The MQ-9B drone is a variant of the MQ-9 "Reaper" which was used to launch a modified version of the Hellfire missile that eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul last month. In 2020, the Indian Navy had taken on lease two MQ-9B Sea Guardian drones from General Atomics for a period of one year for surveillance in the Indian Ocean. The lease period has been extended subsequently. "We have gained good ..

President Murmu to witness Navy's Operational Demonstration in Vizag

: The Navy will put on show India's combat prowess at the Navy Day celebration at the Ramakrishna Beach here on Sunday. For the first time, the main Navy Day event is being organised outside New Delhi, but President of India Droupadi Murmu will join the celebrations as the guest of honour. Navy Day is celebrated every year on December 4 to acknowledge the role of Indian Navy and commemorate its achievements in Operation Trident' during the 1971 Indo-Pak War. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar is hosting the event in which, besides the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and other dignitaries will take part. As India is marching into its Amrit Kaal', celebrating the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav', the Navy will demonstrate the country's combat prowess and capabilities through an Operational Demonstration' at Visakhapatnam. Indian Naval ships, submarines, aircraft and special forces from Eastern,

Two new fast interceptor crafts to be inducted in Navy's Bengal area

Two new fast interceptor crafts will be inducted in the Indian Navy's Bengal area, taking its total fleet strength at Kolkata to eight, a top official said on Friday. For any other effort necessary in the coastline or in the shores of West Bengal, he said that surface ships or naval aircrafts are brought in from Visakhapatnam, the Eastern Naval Command headquarters. "The Navy has two fast interceptor crafts, which have been recently inducted and we hope that two more will join in the future," Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC) Commodore Rituraj Sahu said at a press conference at INS Netaji Subhas, the Navy's Bengal area base headquarters here. Sahu said the Navy's Bengal area has four more capable patrol crafts in Kolkata. The 51st Indian Navy Day will be celebrated on December 4 to commemorate the audacious and devastating attack carried out by the Indian Naval forces' missile boats on Pakistan naval warships, and Karachi port on that date in 1971 under Operation Trident'. "The succe

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