Navy commissions INS Vagir, fifth submarine of Kalvari class

INS Vagir was commissioned into the Indian Navy at the Naval Dockyard Mumbai on Monday Morning (Express photo by Pradip Das)

The erstwhile Vagir was commissioned on November 1, 1973, and undertook numerous operational missions including deterrent patrols, according to a Navy press release. The submarine was decommissioned on January 7, 2001, after serving the nation for about three decades.

Launched and named Vagir on November 12, 2020, the submarine in its new avatar has the distinction of having the lowest build time among all indigenously manufactured submarines to date. She undertook her maiden sea sortie in February 2022, marking the commencement of sea trials and has gone through a series of comprehensive acceptance checks and, stringent and demanding sea trials prior to being commissioned.

The submarine was delivered to the Indian Navy by M/s MDL on December 20, 2022. Vagir will boost the Navy’s capability to further India’s maritime interests and is capable of undertaking diverse missions including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and surveillance missions, according to the Indian Navy. The Sand Shark represents “stealth and fearlessness”, two qualities synonymous with the ethos of a submariner.