Project 75: INS Vaghir

The Fifth submarine of Project 75 was delivered to the Navy, soon to be commissioned as INS Vaghir.

Six Scorpene class submarines developed by the French defence firm Naval Group (formerly DCNS) and Spanish state-owned company Navantia will be built domestically as part of Project 75.
These submarines are being built by Naval Group and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
Compared to preceding submarines, “Vagir” started the sea trials on February 1, 2022, and quickly finished all significant testing, including the weapon and sensor trials.
The INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, and INS Vela, which have already been commissioned into the Navy, and the INS Vagsheer, which was launched in April of last year, are additional submarines of the Kalvari class.
The attack submarines in this class referred to as “hunter-killer” types, use Diesel Electric transmission systems built to pursue and destroy rival naval vessels.

Salient features
- INS Vaghir, like the other four Project-75 submarines, is a diesel-electric attack submarine based on the Scorpène class.
- The naval defence and energy organisation in France created it.
- The submarine was named after the Indian Navy ship INS Vagir (S41), which served from 1973 to 2001.
- It has cutting-edge stealth features, such as an innovative noise absorption method.
- Compared to preceding submarines, the INS Vagir quickly finished all pivotal trials, including the weapon and sensor trials.

About
- Project 75 envisages the indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines with modern equipment, weapons & sensors, including
  - Fuel-Cell based AIP (Air Independent Propulsion Plant), advanced torpedoes, modern missiles and state-of-the-art countermeasure systems.
- This would significantly improve India’s domestic submarine design and production capabilities.
- In addition, the project will use the most recent developments in submarine architecture and technology.
- The overarching goal would be to gradually create domestic private sector capabilities to design, develop, and produce complex weapon systems for the Armed Forces’ upcoming requirements.
- The initiative would benefit the core submarine/shipbuilding business and the manufacturing/industrial sector, particularly Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), by creating an industrial ecosystem for the production of submarine-related spares/systems/equipment.
- This will be a significant step in achieving larger national goals, promoting independence, and bringing the defence industry into line with the government’s “Make in India” agenda.

The Indian Navy had a programme called Project 75 that called for the construction of six Scorpene-Class assault submarines.
Six Scorpene submarines are being built by The Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) with technical support from the Naval Group of France.
Project-75 Submarines Currently in Service:
- The Indian Navy has three submarines, the INS Kalavari, INS Khanderi, and INS Kharanj.
- While the 6th Vagsheer is being built, the 4th and 5th submarines, the INS Vela and INS Vagir, are undergoing testing.
- Furthermore, diesel-electric propulsion systems are utilised by the Project-75 Scorpene-Class submarines.

Firstly, it promotes self-sufficiency, lessens reliance on imports, and gradually increases the dependability of supplies derived from domestic sources.
It serves as a deterrent to China and Pakistan and safeguards the Indo-Pacific:
- The Indian Navy estimates that it has ten submarines, five of which are conventional Agosta 90B class (Khalid class) vessels of French origin and are fully operational.
- In addition, China and Pakistan have struck a contract to purchase eight conventional submarines.
- Nine SSNs and four Jin-class SSBNs are thought to be in China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).
- According to estimates, China also possesses a fleet of more than 40 diesel-electric submarines plagued by maintenance problems.

Pic Courtesy: Indian Express

Content Source: Indian Express