- Another major milestone for Indian Navy’s Project 75 and Make in India initiative
- INS Vagir would form part of the Western Naval Command
- The submarine has advanced stealth features and long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles
NE NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, JAN 23
The Indian Navy on Monday commissioned the fifth stealth Scorpene class submarine Vagir at the naval dockyard in Mumbai in presence of Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar.
"Commissioning of #INSVagir is an important milestone in the Navy’s evolution as a ‘#CombatReady, #Credible, #Cohesive & #FutureProofForce’ & underscores #IndianNavy’s unequivocal commitment & steadfast resolve to be a fully #AatmaNirbhar force by 2047"
-Adm R Hari Kumar #CNS pic.twitter.com/HiuqhFLBLj— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 23, 2023
The newly commissioned submarine took her maiden sea sortie in February last year, marking the commencement of sea trials. The submarine has gone through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and, stringent and demanding sea trials before its commissioning, according to the defence ministry.
Speaking at the event, Admiral R Hari Kumar said,”Vagir is a lethal platform with a formidable weapon package.”
Highlighting that Vagir was the third submarine inducted into the Indian Navy in a span of 24 months, the Chief of Naval Staff said it was a shining testimony to the expertise of India’s shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms.
The Kalvari class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai in collaboration with Naval Group, France.
Vagir is capable of undertaking diverse missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions.
Vagir has a glorious past as the submarine with the same name was commissioned on in November 1973 and undertook numerous operational missions, including deterrent patrols. It was decommissioned in January 2001 after serving the nation for about three decades. Vagir in its new avatar has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date.
“In the navy, it’s a time-honoured tradition that old ships and submarines never die. In keeping with the spirit, the submarine in front of us is a reincarnation of erstwhile Vagir which served India and Indian Navy for three decades,” Admiral Kumar said.
The Sand Shark represents ‘Stealth and Fearlessness’, two qualities that are synonymous with the ethos of a submariner. The motto of the submarine, ‘Saahas Shaurya Samarpan’ epitomizes the core values of Courage, Valour and Dedication. These values reflect in undertaking all operations at its peak efficiency to emerge victorious in all conditions and ability to be synergised when faced with a difficult task. The motto has been imbibed by the men which inspires them to overcome adversities, to remain confident, bold and brave even in the toughest situations so as to keep the edge ‘Sharp and Ready’.
The commissioning of Vagir is coinciding with ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations. The commissioning of this indigenous submarine once again denotes the drive and focus towards ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’.
Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command VAdm AB Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, MDL VAdm Narayan Prasad (Retd) and other senior civil & military officials of Ministry of Defence were present during the commissioning ceremony. The crew of the erstwhile ‘Vagir’, a Russian origin Foxtrot Class Submarine which was decommissioned in 2001 were special invitees for the ceremony and the then commissioning Commanding Officer RAdm K Raja Menon (Retd) was also present.
