NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said commissioning of two made-in-India warships and a submarine on January 15 would “strengthen our efforts towards being a global leader in defence and augment our quest towards self-reliance”.
PM Modi said the commissioning of the destroyer INS Surat, frigate INS Nilgiri and submarine INS Vaghsheer in Mumbai’s Naval dockyard on Wednesday would mark a “special day for naval capacities”.
“Tomorrow, 15th January, is going to be a special day as far as our naval capacities are concerned. The commissioning of three frontline naval combatants will strengthen our efforts towards being a global leader in defence and augment our quest towards self-reliance,” PM Modi said.
Ahead of Republic Day celebrations, the Indian Navy is going to create history by commissioning two warships and a submarine in what will be a major boost to the country’s blue-water combat capabilities to counter China’s growing footprint in the Indian Ocean Region.
Destroyer INS Surat
Surat is part of Project-15B or Visakhapatnam-class, which is aimed at building a new generation of guided-missile destroyers. These are an advanced version of the Kolkata-class (Project-15A) destroyers, featuring substantial improvements in design, automation and ordnance.
Frigate INS Nilgiri
Nilgiri is the lead ship of Project-17A, which is a series of stealth guided-missile frigates being built for the Indian Navy. It has enhanced stealth features (reduced radar signatures) and state-of-the-art technology compared to the current Shivalik-class frigates. Designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau, New Delhi, Nilgiri is enabled to operate independently without supporting vessels, and also to function as the flagship of the naval task force.
Submarine INS Vaghsheer
The sixth Scorpene-class submarine under the Kalvari-class Project 75, Vaghsheer is one of the most silent and versatile diesel-electric submarines in the world. It is designed to undertake a wide range of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, area surveillance and special operations.
It features, among others, a modular construction, allowing for future upgrades such as the integration of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology. AIP, which allows submarines to operate without needing to surface to get oxygen, can be used to replace or supplement the diesel-electric propulsion system of non-nuclear submarines.
