Indian Navy’s first Scorpene submarine under Project 75 was undocked at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in the presence of the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R.K. Dhowan, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and others officials also graced a puja ceremony to mark the auspicious launching of the vessel.
The ‘undocking’ marks the movement of the submarine mounted on pontoons from the berth area in the dock to the harbour. From September 2015 to September 2016, the submarine will undergo a year-and-a-half of rigorous trials and tests, both harbour and at sea, while on surface and while underwater before being commissioned into the Indian Navy.
Christened as ‘INS Kalveri’ (meaning ‘The Tiger Shark.) this submarine was scheduled to be inducted in 2012 now revised to Sept 2016. Here after the next five submarines will be rolled out at intervals of nine months each.
In 1999 India conceived a 30-year programme to build 24 submarines. In October 2005, the contract for ‘Project-75’ was awarded to French defence giant DCNS to build six Franco-Spanish Scorpene-class diesel attack submarines at Mazgaon Docks Ltd. The deal involved extensive technology transfer agreements.
Commenting on the delay Parikkar said, “Time is crucial factor in completion of defence projects. I would urge the PSUs to double their production capacities in three years and complete the project on or before time,”. He added that the Ministry of Defence will penalize firms for their failure to deliver the projects even by a day and reward them with a bonus if they are handed over before time.
Even though French blame the Indian side for the delay, Parrikar has said the delay is “mainly” due to difficulties in procuring material from foreign vendors.
The first four of the six submarines will be diesel-electric, while the last two will be Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation. This means that the first four submarines will not be able to remain submerged for long durations and will need to resurface to recharge its batteries or using snorkelling pipe.
The AIP system will enable the Scorpene submarine to stay underwater for 21 more days, in addition to the existing 50 days it can endure.
The Scorpene can travel 1,020 kilometres underwater. It can travel 12,000 kilometres in the surfaced (above the water surface) mode.
The submarine is built using special steel which can take high yield stress. Its high tensile strength allows it to bear high hydrostatic force allowing deeper depth dives. The submarine has a maximum diving depth of 300m, giving its commander great tactical freedom
The Scorpene attack submarine can carry 18 Black Shark torpedoes, an advanced heavy weight torpedo missile developed by WASS, Italy and missiles or 30 mines. It is equipped with 21 torpedo tubes, providing salvo launch capability. India plans to arm the submarine with high-end French MBDA SM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles.
These submarines will have superior stealth features and can carry weapons aboard which can be easily reloaded at sea. Thus the the submarine can launch its armament whilst underwater or on surface with precision-guidance capability delivering a crippling blow to the enemy.
The sub can hold a company of 31 men It has two diesel generation sets providing 1,250kW of power. The submarine can operate in all theatres including tropics. It is expected to be equipped with means of communications to ensure interoperability with other components of the naval task force.
The array of weapons and complex sensors fitted on board the Scorpene are managed by a high-technology combat management system.
It can undertake multifarious warfare tasks including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance etc..
The minister urged all officers and workers of MDL not to limit themselves to making ships for India, but raise their performance across the globe.
He said the docks would face no dearth of orders, as after the six submarines are built under Project 75, the dockyard will be responsible for building more submarines under the P-75I venture.
“We are planning a blue water navy, which will enable us to operate in deep waters without frequent visits to the harbour.”
Defence & Security Monitor 