New Delhi: Indian Navy on Monday commissioned fifth Kalvari class submarine INS Vagir in its fleet in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai.


The fifth submarine of Project 75 Kalvari class, Vagir is a lethal platform with a formidable weapon package, said Admiral R Hari Kumar on during its commissioning.


"Vagir is the third submarine inducted into the Navy in a span of 24 months. It is also a shining testimony to the expertise of our shipyards to construct complex and complicated platforms," he added, reported ANI.


Structure Of Submarine INS Vagir 


INS Vagir has been indigenously built by MDL (Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited) and the construction was overseen by Indian Navy. Most of the trials were undertaken by the Navy & MDL together, Cdr Divakar S, Commanding Officer was quoted by the news agency ANI as saying. 



  • The submarine is 221 ft long, 40 ft high, 19 ft deep, and weighs 1565 tonnes. 


 



  • The machinery has been set up in such a way that there is about 11-kilometre-long pipe fitting. Cable fitting of about 60 km has been done. 


 



  • The submarine has been made of special steel that has high tensile strength and the ability to work in greater depths of water. ‘Vagir’ can remain in the water for 45-50 days. Due to stealth technology, it does not get caught by the radar. It can be operated in any weather condition. 


 



  • There are 360 battery cells inside INS Vagir. The weight of each battery cell is around 750 kg. On the basis of these batteries, INS Vagir can cover a distance of 6500 Nautical Miles i.e. about 12000 km.  


 



  • It is powered by two 1250 kW diesel engines. It detects the enemy by going up to a depth of 350 metres. Its top speed is 22 notes. 


 


INS Vagir: The Silent Killer


The Vagir submarine is also called a silent killer. The reason is its propulsion motor. The magnetised propulsion motor in its rear part, whose technology has been taken from France, does not allow the inside sound to come out.


Due to this, the enemy's search airplanes or submarines or war vessels do not get the information properly. INS Vagir is equipped with two periscopes. There is an advanced weapon within it that can easily get rid of enemies in times of war. Six torpedo tubes have been made and set on the top of the submarine, from which the torpedoes are fired.


Apart from this, either a maximum of 12 torpedoes can come at a time or an anti-ship missile SM39, along with this, this submarine can also lay mines. 


The weapons and sensors fitted in the submarine are linked to the high-technology Combat Management System. The submarine has all the facilities to communicate with other naval warships. The INS Vagir can also perform all types of warfare, anti-submarine warfare and intelligence gathering.


Other Submarines Of Kalavari Class


Under Project-75, the first submarine INS Kalvari was inducted into the Indian Navy in December 2017. The second submarine INS Khanderi was inducted in September 2019, the third submarine INS Karanj in March 2021 and the fourth INS Vela was commissioned in November 2021.  


On Monday, INS Vagir has also become the pride of the Indian Ocean. The sixth and last submarine, Vagshir, is expected to be handed over to the Navy by the end of 2023.