5th Kalvari-class submarine Vagir to enter naval fleet on January 23
"Vagir will boost the Indian Navy's capability to further India’s maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions," Indian Navy PRO Commander Vivek Madhwal said.
FollowAimed at augmenting the country's maritime prowess, the Indian Navy will commission the fifth Kalvari-class submarine Vagir on January 23 at Mumbai.
Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar will be the chief guest for the ceremony. The submarine has been built under Project-75 by Mumbai-based Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in collaboration with the French Naval Group (earlier DCNS).
The submarine was delivered to the force about a month ago in Mumbai. It should be mentioned that the Navy commissioned four Kalvari-class submarines earlier. The sixth one, named 'Vagsheer', is being constructed at MDL.
Indian Navy PRO Commander Vivek Madhwal said, "Vagir will boost the Indian Navy's capability to further India’s maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions."
What you must know about the Vagir
The length and beam of the submarine are 67.5m and 6.2m, respectively. It has a height of 12.3m with a displacement of 1,615 tonnes (surfaced) and 1,775 tonnes (submerged).
The speed of INS Vagir is surfaced at 20km per hour and Submerged at 37 km per hour. It has a range of 12,000 km at 15 km per hour (surfaced) and 1,020 km at 7.4 km per hour (submerged).
The submarine comes with state-of-the-art stealth features, including advanced acoustic absorption technique, low radiated noise and hydro-dynamically optimised shape.
The Vagir can undertake multifarious types of missions like Anti-Submarine, Anti-Surface warfare, surveillance, and intelligence gathering, among others.
Vagir in India's naval maritime history
The erstwhile Vagir was commissioned on November 1, 1973, and undertook a number of operational missions, including deterrent patrols.
In 2001, the submarine retired from the service after serving the nation for around three decades.
The new Vagir was launched on November 12, 2020. It has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines to date.
The new Vagir undertook her maiden sea sortie in February 2022. Since then, the submarine has gone through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and stringent sea trials prior to being commissioned.
