Indian Navy takes delivery of Scorpene submarine Khanderi from Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited

India's second Scorpene submarine Khanderi was handed over to the Navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in Mumbai on Thursday. Khanderi, a Kalvari-class diesel-electric attack submarine, will be commissioned into the Indian Navy by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 28, 2019.

Commodore (retired) Rakesh Anand, the Chairman & Managing Director of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, signed and handed over Khanderi's acceptance document to Indian Navy Rear Admiral B Sivakumar, Chief of Staff Officer (Technical), Western Naval Command.

Designed by French company Naval Group (earlier known as DCNS), Khanderi has been named after the wide-snouted Sawfish, a deadly predator of the Indian Ocean, and will become the 17th submarine of the Indian Navy after it is commissioned. Manned by a crew of eight officers and 35 sailors, Khanderi can stay out in the sea for 50 days.

With a submerged displacement of 1,775 tonnes, Khanderi is capable of targeting surface ships as well as hunt enemy submarines with its deadly armament of torpedoes which can be fired from six 21 inch tubes or SM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles. The submarine can also carry 30 anti-ship mines in place of torpedoes and missiles. It can also undertake intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance operations.

The first Khanderi submarine was commissioned into the Indian Navy on  December 6, 1968, and served till its decommissioning on October 18, 1989.

INS Kalvari, the first submarine of the class, was commissioned on December 14, 2017, while four other ships are under various stages of trial and construction. Karanj, Vela, Vagir and Vagsheer complete the list of six Scorpene class submarines which India will operate.