- India’s second Scorpene-class submarine INS Khanderi that has superior stealth and other major combat capabilities has been commissioned. 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, has been built by the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai. The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpene-class submarine include superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack 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. The remaining four submarines in the Scorpene-class are — ‘Karanj’, ‘Vela’, ‘Vagir’ and ‘Vagsheer’. The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned into the Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2017.
- The Project 75I-class submarineis a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines for the Indian Navy. Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire six diesel-electric submarines, which will also feature advanced air-independent propulsion systems to enable them to stay submerged for longer duration and substantially increase their operational range. All six submarines are expected to be constructed in Indian shipyards. Six Scorpene class conventional diesel-electric submarines are being built by Mazagon Dock Ltd. (MDL) in Mumbai with technology transfer from the Naval Group of France.
- The Nilgiri-class frigateor Project 17A is a follow-on of the Project 17 Shivalik-class frigate for the Indian Navy. A total of seven ships will be built at Mazagon Dock and Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. The ships have been named after the first major warships to be built in India, which in turn were named after hill ranges in India. The Navy has planned to name the seventh ship in the P17A frigate series as ‘Mahendragiri’. The first of the seven frigates, christened ‘Nilgiri’, has recently been launched. Five more ships of the Nilgiri-class, an upgrade of Leander-class, were also named after other hill ranges of India. The six ships were built a few decades ago and have been decommissioned. These six ships were called — ‘Nilgiri’, ‘Himgiri’, ‘Udaygiri’, ‘Dunagiri, ‘Taragiri’ and ‘Vindhyagiri’.
- An aircraft carrier drydock, housed within the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, was recently inaugurated which is capable of docking India’s largest ship, INS Vikramaditya, and has the ability to maintain ships for decades to come. The carrier dry dock is the largest dock of the Indian Navy measuring 281m in length, 45m in breadth and 17m in depth and is also the first Indian dry dock built into the sea, unlike the conventional docks built on land. It is capable of servicing the 44,500 tonne aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and in the first indigenous aircraft carrier Vikrant under construction at Kochi.
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