India’s INS Kalvari submarine commissioned

The Indian Navy has commissioned INS Kalvari, the first of six indigenously-built submarines, Naval Group announced on 15 December.

The submarines are being built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders (MDL) as part of Project 75 under a technology transfer partnership with Naval Group.

INS Kalvari has undergone sea trials, including the successful test fire of an MBDA SM39 anti-ship missile and torpedo.

The Kalvari class submarine is based on the Scorpene class diesel-electric attack submarine designed by Naval Group and built by MDL. As a part the Make in India initiative, the submarine features significant indigenous content.

The 2000 tonne conventional-propulsion submarine is designed for missions including surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations and intelligence gathering.

The submarine’s automated operating feature enables a limited number of crew to be on-board, which reduces its operating costs significantly. It has six weapon launching tubes and 18 weapons, including torpedoes, missiles, and mines.