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| Inauguration of INS Vela from Calvary class /YouTube DefPost Videos |
International Military - The Indian Navy is making great strides in the development of submarines. According to information published by Aajtak on April 14, 2022, the Indian Navy will launch its sixth Calvary-class Vagsheer submarine in a few days at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
The Kalvari class is a class of diesel-electric attack submarines based on the Scorpne class submarines built for the Indian Navy. The submarine was designed by French naval defense and energy company DCNS (Naval Group) and is being manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.
The Calvary class is capable of carrying out offensive operations across the spectrum of naval warfare including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance. The submarine has a range of 6,500 nmi (12,000 km) with a speed of 8 kn (15 km/h) when surfaced.
Each boat is powered by four MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesel engines, has 360 battery cells (750 kg each), for power, and has a silent Permanent Magnetization Propulsion Motor. The hull, fins and watercraft are designed for minimum underwater resistance, and all equipment in the pressurized hull is mounted on shock-absorbing mounts for increased stealth.
Special steels are used in its construction which have high tensile strength, are able to withstand high yield stresses and hydro-static forces. Each submarine has 60 km of cable and 11 km of piping. The class displaces 1,615 t (1,780 short tons) when surfaced and 1,775 t (1,957 short tons) submerged.
The class is equipped with six 533 mm torpedo tubes for a combination of 18 German-made Surface and Underwater Target (SUT) wire-guided torpedoes and SM39 Exocet anti-ship missiles or 30 mines in place of the two. This class is also equipped with a mobile C303/S anti-torpedo decoy for self-defense.
The weapons and sensor systems are integrated with the Submarine Tactical Integrated Combat System (SUBTICS). It has a sonar system capable of performing Low-Frequency Analysis and Ranging (LOFAR) which enables remote detection and classification. Each submarine has a complement of 8 officers and 35 sailors.
According to the Eurasian Times, a mockup of the new generation of Barracuda-class French fast attack (SSN) submarines will also be displayed by the Naval Group. The company claims the nuclear-powered vessel is capable of performing a variety of missions, including information gathering, special operations, deep attack, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. France is expected to offer these submarines to the Indian Navy.
It was claimed in December last year, during a visit by French Defense Minister Florence Parly to Delhi, that Paris had proposed the Barracuda nuclear attack submarine for the Indian Navy's Project 75 Alpha. The Naval Group is reportedly offering these submarines to India for its Project 75 Alpha.
Under this project, the Indian Navy aims to acquire a new nuclear-powered attack submarine. The project became even more important to France after the rejection of AUKUS as the country lost a lucrative submarine deal with Australia.
The fact that France was not included in the AUKUS agreement (US, UK and Australia) caused a strong reaction from Paris. Recently, it was reported that France had even removed Australia from its list of close 'strategic partners' as the European country planned a new Indo-Pacific strategy.
Despite the fact that this is a major setback for France, many analysts believe it is a positive for India's defense industry.