Explained: Why commissioning INS Vagir submarine is crucial for India

Amid China’s looming presence in the Indian Ocean, the  Navy is all set to commission a new submarine – the Kalvari-class Scorpene submarine INS Vagir on – January 23. Indigenously built by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai in collaboration with Naval Group, France, INS Vagir is the fifth of the submarines in the Kalvari class to be inducted into the Indian navy.

The other four submarines in the Kalvari class are the INS Kalvari, INS Karanj and INS Vela. The final sixth submarine INS Vagsheer will be delivered and commissioned mostly in 2024. With advanced stealth features, the Scorpenes are equipped with both long-range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles, advanced sonars and sensor suites and are capable of undertaking diverse missions.

Why are they crucial for India?

Most importantly, it will help to modernise and boost India’s maritime interests even as China is fast augmenting its naval presence and logistical bases in the Indian Ocean region. China already has the world’s largest navy that includes 50 diesel-electric and 10 nuclear submarines and is all set to supply eight Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines with air-independent propulsion (AIP) for greater underwater endurance to Pakistan.

In this backdrop, INS Vagir’s commissioning, which will happen on Monday at the naval docks in Mumbai (naval chief Admiral Hari Kumar will be the chief guest), assumes significance.

We list the key points to know about INS Vagir.

Completed in record time

Besides being built in India, INS Vagir was completed in record time. Launched in November 2020, the submarine has undergone outfitting, machinery, and weapons trials in just a matter of over two years. Boasting of features like advanced acoustic absorption technique it has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date.

The fact that the testing and evaluation was done quickly suggested that the navy is expediting efforts to modernise the submarine fleet, said defence experts.

Also read: Indian Navy commissions missile destroyer INS Mormugao

“The submarine in its new avatar has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines till date,” remarked a navy official to news agency PTI. INS Vagir took her maiden sea sortie in February last year, and has gone through a number of comprehensive acceptance checks and stringent and demanding sea trials.

Was there an earlier avatar? 

The erstwhile Vagir, which means sand shark, representing stealth and fearlessness, was commissioned on November 1, 1973 and had done many operational missions, including deterrent patrols. The submarine was decommissioned on January 7, 2001, when it had served the nation for nearly three decades.

#Vagir the 5th #Kalvari (Scorpene) class submarine built indigenously at @MazagonDockLtd to be commissioned into #IndianNavy on 23 Jan 2023.#INSVagir #FerociousFifth#AatmaNirbharBharat

Details ⬇️https://t.co/8tZlnVXMno@DefenceMinIndia @IndiannavyMedia@IN_WNC @DefPROMumbai pic.twitter.com/zpSplVMAWV

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 19, 2023

What are its capabilities?

Vagir is a state-of-the-art submarine featuring advanced stealth features, including acoustic absorption. It is designed for different missions such as anti-surface, anti-submarine, intelligence gathering, and mine-laying. It can undertake surveillance missions as well.

INS Vagir can be deployed both closer to the shore as well as mid-ocean, an Indian Navy official told ANI. “It will be ready to meet all the requirements of the Navy and the country. It is a big step towards becoming Atmanirbhar Bharat, ” he added.

INS Vela, the fourth Scorpene commissioned in November 2021 did a record eight-and-a- half month long cross-coast deployment and returned to its home port at Mumbai on October 15, 2022. It had completed an extremely successful mission-based deployment across the IOR, which included extensive patrolling in the Bay of Bengal.

Is INS Vagir part of a programme?

The submarine has been built under a programme called Project-75. Under this $3 billion (around Rs 24,350 crore) Project-75 (P-75) programme, six submarines of Scorpene design were to be indigenously built. Four of the Kalvari class of submarines have already been commissioned into the Indian Navy as mentioned earlier.

The French firm Naval Group, formerly known as DCNS made an agreement with Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited to partner them to build these six Scorpene class submarines in India. Incidentally, the project was repeatedly delayed and though the first submarine was scheduled to be delivered by 2012, the first Scorpene class submarine, INS Kalvari, joined the fleet in December 2017.

Also read: Indian Navy aims to become Atmanirbhar by 2047: Admiral Hari Kumar

What is the significance of the induction of INS Vagir?

The Indian Navy’s submarine arm is severely constrained as it currently has just six old Russian kilo-class and four German HDW submarines besides the five new Scorpenes as part of its conventional underwater fleet.

According to defence experts, the current fleet levels are at least nine short of the ideal figure of 24. To make it worse, the submarine fleet’s workhorses, the Kilo-class (Sindhughosh) subs, are also nearing the end of their service life. The decommissioning of the INS Sindhudhvaj in July 2022 kickstarted the first of the retirement of the boats in this class. All the boats are expected to be decommissioned by the end of the decade.

Meanwhile, China’s navy has become the largest navy in the world, which has nearly 340 platforms, including major surface combatants, submarines, ocean-going amphibious ships, mine warfare ships, aircraft carriers and fleet auxiliaries. Besides, it also has 85 patrol combatants and craft that carry anti-ship cruise missiles. News reports revealed that China’s navy is expected to grow to 400 ships by 2025 and 440 ships by 2030. And, Indian observers are concerned about China’s increasing presence in the Indian Ocean and its implication for India’s maritime security.

Can India step up its naval capabilties?

The build-up of China’s presence in the Indian Ocean is the reason behind India’s urgency to modernise the submarine arm. According to think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Indian analysts are particularly worried that Chinese undersea drones, seen in Indonesia’s near-seas, could be deployed in the waters around India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the eastern Indian Ocean. That is the reason India’s naval leadership is focusing on diesel-electric submarines that have the capability to patrol the littoral.

To handle the combined China-Pakistan threat in the maritime domain, India needs at  least 18 conventional submarines, four SSBNs (nuclear-propelled submarines armed with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles) and six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs). But, India’s projects to modernise and increase its navy fleet seem to be mired in delays.  

The Indian Navy’s plan to have another six ‘hunter-killer’ diesel-electric conventional submarines with land attack cruise missiles, under its Rs 43,000 crore Project-75 India (P-75-I) project, appears to be heading nowhere. Initiated in 2007, the plan is yet to reach any conclusive stage, as participants are dragging their feet due to the complex and rigid requirements of the navy. As the new programme is stuck, a section of the naval authorities want additional three submarines of the same Scorpene class.

“Since we already have a production line set up along with expertise, other options can be looked into,” a defence official told the media.

With the sixth and final sub in the Scorpene programme, INS Vagsheer—due for induction in early 2024, naval managers hope the Project-75(I) project takes off. The government has chosen MDL and private shipbuilder Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to collaborate on the construction of six new stealth submarines.

But, it will take another decade from now for the first such submarine to roll out. Similarly, the project to build six SSNs, each weighing over 6,000-tonne and costing around Rs 15,000 crore, is also stuck. However, the navy is looking to shortly commission the 6,000 tonne INS Arighat, the second ballistic missile nuclear submarine (SSBN) after the INS Arihant. When she joins INS Arihant, she will add some teeth to India’s strategic deterrence posture, it is hoped.