New Delhi: Indian Navy (IN) submarine, INS Vagir, which is on an extended-range deployment, is set to reach Australia’s Fremantle on Sunday, the Ministry of Defence said on Saturday. INS Vagir, which is the navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January this year and is based in Mumbai. The submarine’s deployment commenced in June.
According to the Defence Ministry, during its stay, INS Vagir will take part in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia.
On the other hand, on the East coast of Australia, Indian Naval ships and aircraft are involved in Exercise MALABAR 23 from August 11-21 and AUSINDEX 23 from August 22-24.
“During the ongoing deployment, basic, intermediate and advanced-level Anti-Submarine exercises are scheduled. In addition, the RAN submarine and Indian Naval P8i aircraft are scheduled to exercise with INS Vagir. This deployment will further augment the cooperation and synergy between IN and RAN,” the Defence Ministry said in a press release.
According to the Defence Ministry, the ongoing deployment is a testament to the reach and sustenance of Indian Naval submarines.
“The extended range deployment is the maiden deployment by an IN submarine to Australia and showcases the capability and professional acumen of Indian Navy to undertake sustained operations at extended ranges from the base port for prolonged durations,” the Defence Ministry statement added.
Earlier during the deployment, INS Vagir visited Colombo as part of the International Day of Yoga on Jun 21.
It is to be noted that India’s Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cleared the procurement of three more Scorpene submarines in July. This was done as a follow-on order to an earlier deal as per which Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) built six Scorpene or Kalvari class submarines with technology from France’s Naval Group.