INS Khanderi boosts India’s maritime combat lethality

India’s second Scorpene-class attack submarine INS Khanderi which was commissioned by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday is expected to increase the country’s maritime combat lethality by several folds.

As per the Indian Navy, the INS Khanderi is one of the most potent platforms to have been constructed in India that can compare with the best in the world.

The motif of the attack submarine is inspired by the fish ‘Kanneri’ which is found in the Arabian Sea. The fish is known for hunting while swimming close to the bottom of the ocean using the barbells to find their prey. The fish uses its long serrated saw to kill and shred their prey before eating it.

Like the fish ‘Kanneri’, the INS Khanderi is fully weaponised to attack its enemies. It is equipped with a set of missiles and torpedoes that can be fired upon detecting enemy targets. It has a sonar suite that enables long-range detection and classification of targets. The submarine’s warfare capability comprises a cluster of integrated advanced weapons and sensors. It has undertaken multiple torpedo and missile firing trials to validate its fighting capability.

The INS Khanderi has an overall length of 67.5 metres and a height of about 12.3 metres. The hull form, the fin and the hydroplanes are specifically designed to produce minimum underwater resistance. The power of the submarine’s motor is provided by 360 battery cells, each weighing 750 kg. The motor — known as Permanently Magnetised Propulsion Motor — is extremely silent in nature. The stealth of the INS Khanderi is further enhanced through the mounting of equipment inside the pressure hull on shock absorbing cradles.

Under a programme called Project 75, India is committed to building six Scorpene-class submarines at a cost of around Rs 25,000 crore. The first Scorpene-class submarine INS Kalvari had been commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 2017. The programme has been undertaken with Transfer of Technology from Naval Group, a state-run submarine builder in France, which was formerly known as DCNS.

The INS Khanderi is a conventional diesel-electric submarine and has been manufactured by the state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in Mumbai. Its construction had begun in April 2009. It was constructed in five separate segments which were welded together later.

The INS Khanderi commissioned on Saturday carries forward the legacy of her namesake, a Soviet Foxtrot Class, which was India’s second submarine overall and was in service of the Indian Navy for 21 years. The first INS Khanderi was commissioned in December 1968 and pulled out of service in 1989.

The submarine’s motto ‘Akhand Abhedya Adrishya’ signifies the unity of the crew, indomitable spirit and stealth of the platform.-IANS news