INS Vagsheer Arrives In Mumbai

India welcomes the sixth and last Scorpene-class submarine, “INS Vagsheer”, under Project-75 in Mumbai.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar launched the 6th Scorpene-class submarine, INS Vagsheer, the last one of the 6 submarines under Project-75. INS Vagsheer is manufactured by the Mazagon Dock shipbuilders in Mumbai. Before this, Mazagon Dock manufactured the INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, and INS Vela. Furthermore, INS Vagir, the 5th submarine, is currently on trial.

Moreover, INS Vagsheer is also set to go through the required trials and tests before it is handed over to the navy.

INS Vagsheer: the 6th submarine of Project-75

The name “Vagsheer” is derived from a sand fish, which is a deadly deep-sea predator of the Indian Ocean.

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The first Vagsheer submarine came from the USSR (now Russia) and the Indian Navy enrolled it on December 26, 1974. Sadly, after 3 decades, on April 30, 1997, it ended its maritime service with the Indian Navy as it was decommissioned.

The submarine has four sub-types. That includes:

CM-2000 conventional diesel-electric version
The AM-2000 air-independent propulsion derivative,
The downsized CA-2000 coastal submarine, and
The enlarged S-BR is for the Brazilian navy.

INS Vagsheer can do a lot of different things. It can be used for anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

The submarine has various covert features. INS Vagsheer has the capability to stand ahead of the other submarines. Additionally, the features make the submarine invulnerable, and many of them are unmatched by the other submarines. These features include:

Advanced acoustic absorption techniques
Low radiated noise levels
A hydro-dynamically optimised shape, and
The ability to launch crippling attacks using guided weapons

Previous submarines launched by the Mazagon docks

INS Kalvari- The first submarine, INS Kalvari, was launched under Project-75 from the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai. The Defence Ministry launched INS Kalvari in October 2015. Furthermore, it was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 2017.

INS Khanderi: The next submarine launched in January 2017. Following the sea trials, INS Khanderi was enrolled in the Indian Navy in September 2019.

INS Karanj: the 3rd submarine of Project-75, was launched in January 2018. Furthermore, after completing 2 years of sea trials, the Indian Navy commissioned it in March, 2021.

INS Vela: The 4th submarine is the latest submarine that is currently with the Indian Navy. The defence ministry launched INS Vela in May 2019 and the Indian Navy took control of it in November 2021.