Third Scorpene-class submarine 'INS Karanj' launched

It is need of the hour for Indian Navy to increase its presence in the seas, especially with China flexing its muscles in the Indian Ocean region.

The Indian Navy on Wednesday launched the third Scorpene-class submarine 'INS Karanj' from Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. The other two Scorpene-class submarines are INS Kalvari, which was commissioned on December 14 last year, and INS Khanderi, which was launched on 12 January, 2017.

Karanj is the third of the six Scorpene-class submarines being built by MDL under the Project 75 programme, said an ET report.

It is need of the hour for Indian Navy to increase its presence in the seas, especially with China flexing its muscles in the Indian Ocean region.

An Indian Navy official had said that the Scorpene class submarines are provided with all means and communications to ensure interoperability with other components of a naval task.

INS karanj is indegenously built to give impetus to the government's "Make in India" initiative. The Scorpene deal for India was signed in October 2005 and the first submarine was to be delivered by 2012, but due to inordinate delays and teething problems it could not happen, said an ET report.

Features of INS Karanj:

• Karanj sumarine is 67.5 meters long, 12.3 meters tall and weighs 1565 tons.
• Karanj has superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and hydrodynamically optimized shape.
• Karanj is capable of attacking targets on land from sea.
• Karanj can undertake anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.
• Karanj is wquipped with torpedos and anti-ship missiles.

OneIndia News