Sixth Scorpene submarine begins sea trials ahead of delivery in early-2024

NEW DELHI: The sixth and the last Scorpene submarine Vaghsheer has now begun its sea trials, ahead of its delivery to the Navy in early-2024 under the over Rs 23,000 crore project inked with French companies way back in 2005.
“The submarine will undergo intense trials of all its systems at sea, including propulsion systems, weapons and sensors, before being commissioned as INS Vaghsheer early next year,” an official said. The earlier commissioned Scorpene submarines are INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj, INS Vela and INS Vagir.
These diesel-electric submarines are equipped with long-range guided torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles as well as advanced sonars and sensor suites. There have, however, been huge cost and time overruns in this `Project-75’ underway at Mazagon Docks (MDL) in collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France.
The major concern now is the continuing huge delay in the follow-on programme under the “strategic partnership” model to build six more advanced diesel-electric submarines under `Project-75-India’ for over Rs 42,000 crore.
The “acceptance for necessity” for the Project-75I submarines, with both land-attack cruise missiles as well as air-independent propulsion (AIP) for greater underwater endurance, was first granted in November 2007.
The foreign companies in the fray to build the six new submarines in collaboration with either MDL or private L&T shipyard have been granted yet another extension till August this year to submit their commercial and technical bids, as was earlier reported by TOI.
It will take almost a decade for the first such submarine to roll out after the contract is eventually inked. Apart from the new Scorpenes, the Indian Navy is grappling with just six old Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW submarines in the conventional underwater fleet.
China, incidentally, has over 50 diesel-electric and 10 nuclear submarines. It is also supplying eight new Yuan-class diesel-electric submarines with AIP to Pakistan.