On Thursday, the Indian Navy commissioned the Catfish-class submarine INS Vela at the Mumbai Naval Shipyard in the presence of Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Karambi Singh. INS Vela is the fourth Catfish-class submarine to be commissioned under Project 75.

It was built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in cooperation with the French M/s Naval Group.

On Thursday, Admiral Singh said of the commissioning activities that INS Vela can conduct a full range of submarine operations. Singh added: “In view of today’s dynamic and complex security situation, its capabilities and firepower will play a vital role in enhancing the Navy’s ability to protect India’s maritime interests.”

The Chief of Naval Staff also stated that the launch of INS Vela on Thursday marked another high point in the partnership between India and France.

The submarine has advanced stealth and combat capabilities. Attacks from Vela can be carried out using torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles at the same time, whether on the surface or underwater.

The previous version of Vela entered service in 1973 and has been in service for 37 years. It was retired in 2010.

Captain Anish Mathew, the commander of INS Vela, told the news agency ANI on Wednesday that the submarine has a set of local batteries and a set of locally made advanced communication kits.

This is the second major entry for the Navy in less than a week.

On November 21, the Navy commissioned the Visakhapatnam, the first stealth guided-missile destroyer of Project 15B. The ship can perform various tasks and tasks covering all areas of naval warfare. It is also equipped with major homegrown weapons such as homegrown medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, surface-to-surface missiles, torpedo tubes and launchers.

News Source: Hindustan Times