Navy launches 4th Scorpene-class submarine Vela

Npnews24 online, Mumbai: The Navy on Monday launched the Scorpene-class submarine Vela, the fourth of six underwater warships being built in India with French collaboration, with an aim to boost Indian capability to defend and secure the strategic sea lanes.

Vela submarine will undergo a number of tests conducted by the Navy before it is commissioned in the defence fleet, an official said.

Defence production secretary Ajay Kumar’s wife Veena Ajay Kumar launched the submarine at Mazagon Dockyard in Mumbai.

The state-owned Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited has entered into a contract for construction and transfer of technology for six Scorpene-class subs with French collaborator Ms Naval Group (formerly DCNS). INS Vela is the fourth in that series.

The fifth Scorpene-class submarine will be launched soon, an MDL official said.

Before Vela, MDL launched Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj submarines.

INS Vela was first commissioned on August 31, 1973 in the Indian Naval Service and continued to serve for 37 years. It was the country’s oldest submarine when it was decommissioned on June 25, 2010, MDL said in a statement.

Eight warships and five submarines are under construction at MDL, the company said, adding the submarines’ capacity includes anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.

Addressing a gathering at the Mazagon dock, Kumar said, “MDL was the first shipyard in the country to build submarines way back in 1992, when the dock built INS Shalki.”

The first submarine in the Scorpene class, INS Kalvari, has been commissioned, and the second is on the cusp of delivery, he said.