Indian Navy’s second Scorpene class submarine ‘INS Khanderi’ launched at Mazgaon, Mumbai

India’s second Scorpene class submarine, INS Khanderi, was launched into water (undocked) at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai on Thursday.

The function to commence the launch of Khanderi was presided by Union Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Subhash Bhamre.

“I’m confident that the day is not too far when Mazagon Dock Limited will build submarines for other nations as well,” Bhamre said after the launch.

The submarine will now undergo rigorous tests and trials till December 2017, before it is commissioned into the Indian Navy.

The Khanderi was built in India by Mazagon Dock Limited under a transfer-of-technology agreement with the French naval defence group DCNS.

The state-of-the-art features of this Scorpene class submarine include superior stealth and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons.

The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on surface. The stealth features give it an invulnerability, par many of the existing submarines.

The Khanderi is designed to operate in all parts of the world, including the tropics.

It can undertake multifarious types of missions typically undertaken by any modern submarine i.e. anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.

Since the submarine is powered by a diesel-electric engine, it won’t be able to remain submerged for long durations and will have to resurface to recharge its batteries using a snorkelling pipe.

Khanderi is named after the Island fort of Maratha forces, which played a vital role in ensuring their supremacy at sea in the late 17th century.