BackIndian Navy’s new submarine Vagir: 5 things to know
Let's find out five things about Indian Navy’s new submarine Vagir.
PremiumIn advance of its anticipated commissioning in January, the fifth submarine of the scorpene-class, named Vagir, was delivered to the Indian Navy on December 20. The introduction of the Project-75-built submarine is expected to strengthen the Indian Navy's combat capabilities at a time when China is stepping up its footprint in the Indian Ocean region.
Concerns about China's expanding incursions into the area, which is thought of as the Indian Navy's backyard, have led India to concentrate on strengthening its maritime capacity with an emphasis on the Indian Ocean. Here are five things to know about Vagir.
- Six Scorpene-designed submarines will be built locally as part of Project-75. The Naval Group of France and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai are working together to develop the submarines.
- The building of these submarines at an Indian yard, according to Navy Spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal, is another step toward "Atmanirbhar Bharat". The submarine, he said, would soon be commissioned into the Indian Navy.
- Vagir was launched on November 12, 2020. It started her sea trials on February 1. It finished all important trials, including the weapon and sensor trials, faster than any previous submarine, as per Commander Madhwal.
- The Indian Navy's first anti-submarine warfare corvette, dubbed "Arnala," was launched in Chennai by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers. The name, according to the Navy, was chosen to represent the strategic maritime importance Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj gave to the island of Arnala, located around 13 kilometres north of Vasai, Maharashtra.
- The Indian Navy's Abhay class anti-submarine warfare ships will be replaced by the Arnala class vessels, which are intended for low-intensity maritime operations (LIMO), such as subsurface monitoring in littoral waters, as well as anti-submarine operations in coastal areas.
(With PTI inputs)
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