Mumbai: Indian Naval Ship (INS) Karanj, which will be commissioned on March 10, is the third of the six Kalvari-class diesel electric submarines to start functioning in the navy since 2017. The Navy has inducted two submarines of the same class–the INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi–from Mazagaon Docks Limited (MDL’s) where the INS Karanj was built. Motani Suhail, master chief of the submarine, said: “There will be 39 personnel onboard when the submarine works in shifts. They have been specially trained for a long period to serve on the submarine for months, which is quite a challenging task. Once the submarine is in action, the crew have to ensure they do not make any noise.
Before Karanj, INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi have been commissioned in the Indian Navy in 2017 and 2019, respectively. If everything goes as planned, the navy aims to commission remaining three submarines as scheduled. Karanj sailed for over 100 days as part of trials before being commissioned. All the six Kalvari-class submarines have the same capabilities but they can be deployed in different roles. This includes guarding a strategic point in the sea, laying mines, gathering intelligence, dropping marine commandos and engaging with enemy ships as per orders
Karanj is seen as a small submarine having a length of 60 metres. Though it cannot be compared to the nuclear-powered submarine Arihant, this class of conventional submarines have their own advantages.Kalvari-class submarines are being constructed by public sector shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL). As per the contract with a French company, they would teach MDL and transfer the technology to India so it can make these ships indigenously. A total of six submarines are to be built at the MDL. These were the Scorpene-class submarines ordered by India in 2005 with MDL being the licensed builder of the SSK class submarine in collaboration with France’s Naval Group in Mumbai. Trials of two – the Vela and Vagir – are underway while the construction of sixth Vagsheer is under way.
Karanj, however, has been built without any kind of supervision of the French company and even the crew has been trained by Indian Navy officials. An official said the French company too learnt a lot from us as the Indian Navy has been using submarines for past 50 years made in Russia, Germany and the UK. According to MDL, the state-of-the-art technology used in Scorpene-class submarine means that the submarine has superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels and ability to launch crippling attacks with precision-guided weapons on board. The attacks can be launched with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, while underwater or on surface. The stealth features give it an edge unmatched by most submarines, while it is also designed to operate in all theatres of operation, showcasing interoperability with other components of a naval task force, the MDL said.