Rajnath Singh commissions the 2nd Kalvari-class Submarine INS Khanderi

Mumbai, Sep 28: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh commissioned the second Kalvari-class Submarine INS Khanderi into service.

INS Khanderi is India's second Scorpene-class submarine that has superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack with torpedoes.

Earlier, the Vice-Admiral G Ashok Kumar, the vice chief of the Navy, said with the commissioning of ''Khanderi'', the combat potential of Navy will "go up many fold".

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took on to Twitter to share the images of INS Khanderi, he wrote, "The commissioning of Khanderi marks yet another significant and historic step in showcasing the will and intent of the Government."

INS Khanderi, the second Scorpene-class submarine that can attack with torpedoes as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles whilst underwater or on the surface, was launched at the Mazgaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai on January 2017.

The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari was commissioned into the Navy by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2017. On the occasion, PM Modi had said Kalvari was an excellent example of ''Make in India'' and will boost the Navy's might.

In January 2017, Khanderi, the second Scorpene-class submarine was launched.

The submarines, designed by the French naval defence and energy company, are being built by Mazagon Dock Ltd in Mumbai as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.

The first Kalvari, commissioned on December 8, 1967, was also the first submarine of the Indian Navy. It was decommissioned on May 31, 1996, after nearly three decades of service.

The first Scorpene in the series is named after the first Kalvari of the Navy.

The state-of-the-art features of this Kalvari-class Scorpene submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch attacks on the enemy using a precision-guided weapon.

The stealth features will give it an invulnerability, unmatched by many submarines.

The submarine is designed to operate in all theatres, including the tropics. All means and communications are provided to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task force.