INS Vaghsheer
Context:
President Droupadi Murmu recently embarked on a sortie onboard the Indian Navy's frontline submarine INS Vaghsheer off the western coast
She is the second President of India to undertake an operational submarine voyage after Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam in 2006.
About INS Vaghsheer
It was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 2025.
It is the sixth and final submarine inducted under the Project-75 (P75) Scorpene programme.
Vagsheer is named after the sand fish, a deep-sea predator of the Indian Ocean.
INS Vagsheer is a diesel attack submarine, designed to perform sea denial as well as access denial warfare against the adversary.
The submarine is equipped with advanced combat features, including:
Wire-guided torpedoes.
Anti-ship missiles.
Advanced sonar systems for underwater combat.
It is enabled with a C303 anti-torpedo counter measure system. It can carry up to 18 torpedoes or Exocet anti-ship missiles, or 30 mines in place of torpedoes.
Project-75:
The objective is toconstruct six Scorpene-class attack submarines.
It is built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai with technology transfer from Naval Group,France.
The Six Submarines are: -
INS Kalvari
INS Khanderi
INS Karanj
INS Vela
INS Vagir
INS Vaghsheer
Significance:
The President, as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, undertook this sortie from the Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka.