Congratulations! Indian Navy’s combat system gets loaded with 3rd Scorpene-class submarine Karanj
Mumbai, January 31: Today the 3rd Scorpene-class submarine Karanj was launched at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. Karanj was today inaugurated by President Navy Wives Welfare Association after the recitation of Sanskrit shlokas from the Atharva Veda and traditional ceremonies associated with the launch of naval platforms.
Karanj is the third of the six Scorpene-class submarines built by MDL under the Project 75 programme. Karanj was commissioned in Indian Navy on September 4, 1969, and was retired on August 1, 2003. Karanj was reborn in a new avatar today. Karanj had served the nation for 34 years and also took part in 1971 operations. Invocations were recited from Atharva Veda before Karanj touched water for the very first time on Wednesday.
Addressing the inauguration, Admiral Sunil Lanba, CNS, said that the launch of Karanj marked a significant departure from the manning and training philosophy that was adopted for the first two submarines and added that from third submarine onwards the Navy would be fully self-reliant in training and certification processes. He also mentioned that the old Karanj had served the nation for 34 years from 1969 to 2003 including participation in 1971 war.
The state-of-the-art technology utilised for construction of the Scorpene class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. The attacks can be carried out with torpedoes while submerged or on the surface.
The submarine has an overall length of 67.5 meters and a height of about 12.3 metres. The hull form, fin and hydroplanes are specifically designed to produce minimum underwater resistance.
The Scorpene submarines are a primary modernization requirement of the Indian Navy, which is currently faced with an ageing submarine fleet, and that too when the Chinese navy has a growing presence in the Indian Ocean.
This historic event reaffirms the giant strides taken by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in the ongoing ‘Make In India’ programme, which is being actively implemented by the Department of Defence Production (MoD).
Karanj will now undergo rigorous trials and tests, both in the harbour and at sea before it is commissioned into the Navy.
Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions i.e Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc. The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, with means provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force.
The 1st one, INS Kalvari, was commissioned on December 14, 2017, while the 2nd one, Khandari, has already been launched and is undergoing sea trials and is expected to be commissioned later this year. All the submarines are due to be inducted gradually into the Indian Navy by 2020.