“The Government is deeply conscious of the requirements of the Armed Forces and remains committed in providing requisite focus and financial support for its modernisation”, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on 28 September 2019 at the Commissioning Ceremony of indigenously built submarine INS Khanderi in Mumbai. Mr.Rajnath Singh said due impetus had been given for the timely acquisition of state-of-the-art weapons, sensors and platforms, adding that the Government had given more freedom and support to armed forces in taking decisions in the nation’s interest. “We are committed to far-reaching changes in our defence preparedness. You cannot buy a confident Navy. A confident Navy is always built by a confident Government”, Raksha Mantri said, adding that the Indian Navy had the confidence which no other country in the Indian Ocean possessed.
Describing INS Khanderi as a ‘potent combatant’, Shri Rajnath Singh congratulated the Navy and the Western Naval Command on its induction and for achieving very high levels of operational preparedness prior its commissioning. He said it was a matter of great pride that India was one of the few countries capable of constructing their own submarine.
INS Khanderi is the second of Kalvari Class diesel-electric attack submarines of the Indian Navy. It has been built in India to the French Scorpene design (by Naval Group) and is the second submarine of the Project-75. Built indigenously by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, INS Khanderi is a lethal addition to Navy’s conventional submarine arsenal and is designed for silent and stealthy sub-surface operations.
INS Khanderi is the follow-on to INS Kalvari, which was the first of the French origin Scorpene class submarines being indigenously constructed in India and commissioned by the Prime Minister in 2017. First put out to sea in 2017, INS Khanderi has undergone comprehensive sea trials, torpedo and missile firings to validate her fighting capability. She was handed over to the Indian Navy on completion of trials on 19 September 2019. At 67.5 meters long and 12.3 meters high, Khanderi‘embodies cutting edge technologies that ensure stealthy, silent operations underwater and is equipped with an array of torpedoes, missiles and sensors that enable her to detect, identify and destroy enemy targets’.
“MBDA is proud to share this moment with the Indian Navy as INS Khanderi is commissioned into service, many congratulations to all involved in the taking of this step. As she patrols the high seas she will carry the advanced Exocet SM39 anti-ship missile to protect India's interests", stated LoïcPiedevache, Country Head India, MBDA.
Exocet SM39 being loaded in the submarine
Olivier de la Bourdonnaye, Senior Executive Program Director at Naval Group: “The rise in competencies that MDL completed is very inspiring. It is the first time in history that such a large scale technology transfer has taken place for the making of one of the most complex products found in the world. The commissioning of the second Scorpene-class submarine constitute a new milestone for this unique and one of a kind industrial programme. The additional unit of this stealthy submarine will further contribute to the self-reliance of the Indian Navy”.