The Indian Navy has commissioned its third Scorpene-class submarine INS Karanj at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai through a formal ceremony.
The submarine completed sea trials and was handed over to the service last month. It was launched in January 2018.
INS Karanj was built at the Mazagon Dock in Mumbai using technology and training provided by French naval shipbuilding firm DCNS.
Two submarines of the class, named INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi, have already been commissioned into service.
INS Kalvari, the first submarine in the class, was undocked in April 2015 and launched in October of the same year.
INS Khanderi is the second submarine that was launched in January 2017.
Naval Staff chief Admiral Karambir Singh said: “This impetus to indigenisation & Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a fundamental tenet of Indian Navy’s growth story and future operational capabilities.”
Emphasising India’s push for the AatmaNirbharta Initiative, Naval Staff former chief Admiral VS Shekhawat said: “We live in an India launching numerous satellites, building nuclear submarines, manufacturing vaccines for the worlds. The new Karanj is another example of it.”
The Indian Navy’s Project 75I (P75I) is a Scorpene submarine development programme for six latest-generation attack boats.
The vessels are designed for missions such as area surveillance, intelligence gathering, anti-submarine warfare (ASW), anti-surface warfare (ASuW) and minelaying operations.
In a separate development, the Indian Navy stated that the service has deployed four female officers on board its ships after 23 years.
Female officers were posted onboard ships in 1998, but the decision was later reversed.
