The sixth and last of the French Scorpene-class submarines, INS Vagsheer, was launched into water at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai.

Launch of INS Vagsheer

• It was launched by Veena Ajay Kumar (wife of Union Defence Secretary), in keeping with the naval tradition of launch and naming by a woman.
• The six submarines were being built under Project-75 by the Mazagon Docks under technology transfer from the Naval Group as part of a $3.75-billion deal signed in October 2005:

1. INS Kalvari was commissioned in December 2017;
2. INS Khanderi in September 2019;
3. INS Vagir in November 2020;
4. INS Karanj in March 2021; and
5. INS Vela in November 2021.

• P 75 is one of two lines of submarines, the other being P75I, as part of a plan approved in 1999 for indigenous submarine construction with technology taken from overseas firms.

Why ‘Vagsheer’

• Vagsheer is named after the sand fish, a deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean.
• The first submarine Vagsheer, from Russia, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 26, 1974, and was decommissioned on April 30, 1997.
• The new Vagsheer will be officially named at the time of its commissioning.

Specifications

• Vagsheer can take up to eight officers and 35 men.
• It is 67.5 metres long and 12.3 metres high, with a beam measuring 6.2 metres Vagsheer can reach top speed of 20 knots when submerged and a top speed of 11 knots when it surfaces
• It has four MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesel engines, 360 battery cells for power, and a silent Permanently Magnetised Propulsion Motor.
• The hull, fin and hydroplanes are designed for minimum underwater resistance and all equipment inside the pressure hull is mounted on shock-absorbing cradles for enhanced stealth.

Features

• Vagsheer is a diesel attack submarine, designed to perform sea denial as well as access denial warfare against the adversary.
• It can do offensive operations across the spectrum of naval warfare including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.
• It is enabled with a C303 anti-torpedo counter measure system.
• It can carry up to 18 torpedoes or Exocet anti-ship missiles, or 30 mines in place of torpedoes.
• Its superior stealth features include advanced acoustic absorption techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape.
• It has the ability to launch a crippling attack using precision guided weapons, underwater or on surface.

Road ahead

• Vagsheer will be commissioned into the Indian Navy’s Western Command after 12 to 18 months when sea trials end.
• It will be based with Western Naval Command, mostly in Mumbai.
• The submarine will undergo a very comprehensive and rigorous set of tests and trials, for more than a year, to ensure delivery of a fully combat worthy submarine.

Back2Basics: Various classes of Submarines in India

In maritime terms, a class of ships is a group of vessels that have the same make, purpose and displacement.

• Chakra Class: Under a 10-year lease from Russia since 2012
• Arihant Class: Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines
• Shishumar Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines Indian variant of the Type 209 submarines developed by the German Navy
• Kalvari Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines designed by French company DCNS
• Sindhughosh Class: Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines built with the help of Russia
• Scorpene-Class: French submarines that can undertake various types of missions such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.

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