Scorpene class submarine INS Vela

Scorpene class submarine INS Vela

Part of: Prelims and GS-III – Defence and security 

Context The fourth Scorpene class conventional submarine, INS Vela , was commissioned into the Navy 

Key takeaways 

• With this, the Navy currently has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarines in service. 
• Vela is named after a type of Indian fish belonging to the stingray family. 

Navy’s Project-75

• Six Scorpene submarines are being built under Project-75 by India under technology transfer from France under a $3.75-bn deal. 
  • The first submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned in December 2017. 
  • Second submarine INS Khanderi in September 2019. 
  • Third one INS Karanj in March 2021. 
  • The fifth submarine, Vagir , was launched in November 2020. 
  • Sixth one Vagsheer is in the advanced stage of outfitting.

India’s further plans

• India plans to install Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) modules on all Scorpene submarines from 2023 to enhance their endurance.
• After the Project P-75I, the Navy intends to design and build conventional submarines indigenously.