INS Khanderi has the capability to undertake multifarious tasks typically undertaken by any modern submarine. The submarine has been manufactured at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai under the ‘Make in India’ initiative

INS Khanderi commissioned: Indian Navy has today inducted the second Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Khanderi. This new naval asset will bolster the Indian Navy’s arsenal, deter India’s enemies and provide combating supremacy. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commissioned the INS Khanderi at the event. The submarine has been manufactured at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) in Mumbai under the ‘Make in India’ initiative. The new INS Khanderi is a reincarnated version of the very first Khanderi submarine of the Indian Navy. The first submarine Khanderi was commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 1968. This decommissioned after twenty years of service in October 1989.

INS Khanderi has the capability to undertake multifarious tasks typically undertaken by any modern submarine. These include anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance. The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpene-class submarines mean that the INS Khanderi will be capable of superior stealth, and the ability to launch attacks using precision guided weapons. INS Khanderi is the second of the six Scorpene-class submarines that are being built under Project 75 at Mazagon Docks Ltd. The project is being carried out in collaboration with the French submarine builder Naval Group (formerly DCNS).

The first Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Kalvari, was commissioned in December, 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The third Scorpene-class submarine, the INS ‘Karanj’ was launched at MDL on January 31, 2018. While INS Karanj is currently in the sea trials phase, the fourth Scorpene-class submarine, the INS Vela was launched in May this year is being prepared for sea trials. The other two submarines — INS Vagir and INS Vagsheer — are in various stages of outfitting, the Defence Ministry was quoted as saying by PTI.

Earlier, the Defence Ministry said that building the Scorpene was indeed a “challenge” for MDL due to all work having to be done in the most congested of spaces. However, the Defence Ministry said that MDL successfully overcame these challenges head-on.