India launches 2nd home-assembled submarine

The Scorpène-class vessel is one of six being built by India in collaboration with France’s DCNS

India on Thursday launched its second indigenously-built Scorpène submarine in Mumbai, The Hindu reported.

The vessel, christened INS Khanderi after a 17th Maratha island fort, is said to have stealth capabilities and the capacity to launch precision guided munitions, such as torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, while submerged or surfaced. According to The Hindu, it can carry out several types of missions – such as anti-ship and ant-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering and surveillance, and mine laying – in all theatres, including the tropics.

INS Khanderi is the second of the six submarines being built at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in collaboration with DCNS of France, as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy. The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea trials and will be commissioned shortly into the Indian navy, The Hindu quoted an Indian defence official as saying. Khanderi, meanwhile, will now undergo several trials and tests till this December.

The Scorpène is a class of diesel-electric attack submarines jointly developed by France’s Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) and Spain’s Navantia. The type is currently built and licensed by DCNS, a French industrial group specialising in naval defence and energy. At present, the navies of Chile and Malaysia operate Scorpène submarines. In addition to India, the Brazilian navy plans to induct the type as well.

In mid-August 2016, The Australian newspaper reported that design details of the Scorpène-class had been leaked. The 22,400 pages of leaked information included detailed information about the submarine’s combat and stealth capabilities, noise levels, submarine frequencies and more.

While dismissing the leaks as ‘not a matter of much worry’, India’s naval chief still said they were being viewed ‘very seriously’.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2017.