Sixth And The Last Kalvari Class Submarine, 'INS Vagsheer' Commences Sea Trials; To Be Commissioned By Year-End

In a major boost to the Indian Navy's underwater capabilities, the sixth and the last submarine of the Kalvari Class Submarine, 'INS Vaghsheer', has commenced sea trials.

According to a report, INS Vaghsheer will be inducted in the Navy by the end of 2023.

The submarine is built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), in collaboration with the Naval Group of France, as part of a $3.5 billion deal signed in 2005 to build six Scorpene-Class Submarines with Transfer of Technology (ToT).

Despite the significant investment and collaborative efforts, the program faced delays, witnessing a setback of almost five years. The first submarine, the Kalvari, originally scheduled for commissioning in 2012, was ultimately commissioned only in 2017.

However, after the induction of the submarine, the production line at MDL will become empty once again, with no repeat orders. There are only rumors that the Navy might order three more submarines.

However, after the successful induction of the submarine, another challenge emerges. The production line at MDL will soon become empty once again, as no repeat orders are currently in place.

While rumors suggest that the Navy might order three more submarines, the uncertainty surrounding these potential orders raises concerns.

Earlier in January, the Navy has inducted, INS Vagir, the fifth submarine of the Kalvari Class.

The successful sea trials and induction of INS Vaghsheer would plug the gap in the Indian Navy’s declining submarine fleet. It should be noted that most of the Indian Navy’s submarines are two to three decades old. 

The Navy operates around 16 submarines, seven of which are Russian-made Kilo-class, four German-made U-209 submarines and five latest Kalvari-class submarines.

These are not enough to look after an area of interest as large as the Indian Ocean, at a time when Pakistan is set to receive eight AIP-equipped Chinese submarines over the next few years.

Although there are rumors that the Navy might consider ordering additional Scorpene submarines to arrest the declining submarine fleet, the induction of these boats will provide only temporary relief.

The numbers will begin to come down again, as the older submarines in service with the Navy currently will start to retire in the later part of this decade or early next decade.

Moreover, Project-75I, the Navy’s next-generation submarine program, has faced repeated delays and is unlikely to move forward anytime soon.

The Chinese, on the other hand, are adding multiple warships and submarines every year and making increasing forays in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).