Indian Navy INS Vela: In a major boost to its underwater warfare capabilities, Indian Navy Thursday commissioned INS Vela, the fourth submarine of Scorpene class which has been built in India by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders under the Project-75.
The stealth submarine which has been commissioned by Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh would be deployed with the Western Naval Command. It has advanced stealth features and long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.
The Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, in partnership with the Naval Group of France.
“The commissioning of the 4th in class submarine is a major milestone achieved today. INS Vela would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of its arsenal,” said the ministry of defence.
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Admiral Karambir Singh
The formal commissioning ceremony of INS Vela took place at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai. INS Vela was handed over to the Indian Navy earlier this month.
Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, flag officer commanding-in-chief of western naval command, and Narayan Prasad chairman and managing director of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, and other senior civil and military officials of the ministry of defence were present during the commissioning ceremony of INS Vela.
Crew of the erstwhile ‘Vela’, a Russian origin Foxtrot Class Submarine, which was decommissioned in 2010, were also present amongst the guests on this occasion.
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INS Vela.
Indian Navy’s INS Vela submarine
The Scorpene submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.
These submarines have a state of the art SONAR and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities. They also have an advanced Permanent Magnetic Synchronous motor (PERMASYN) as its propulsion motor.
“The delivery of Vela is yet another affirmation of the impetus being given by the Indian Navy towards consolidating its position as a ‘Builder’s Navy’ as also indicative of MDL’s capabilities as a premier ship and submarine building yard,” the MoD said.
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