New Delhi (Sputnik) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be handing over India's first locally built Submarine — INS Kalvari — to the Indian Navy on Thursday. The much-awaited diesel-electric Scorpene class submarine is the first of the six such submarines being built at an Indian shipyard with the technical support of French naval shipbuilding firm Naval Group, earlier known as DCNS. INS Kalvari is the first conventional submarine that would be joining the Indian Navy's fleet after a gap of 17 years.
"The INS Kalvari is a diesel-electric attack submarine that has been built for the Indian Navy by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited. It is the first of six such submarines that will be inducted into the Indian Navy, and represents a significant success for the "Make in India" initiative," Indian defense ministry said in a statement.
PM @narendramodi to dedicate naval submarine INS Kalvari to the Nation tomorrow. INS Kalvari, a diesel-electric attack submarine has been built for navy by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. pic.twitter.com/gINBCLitAs
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) December 13, 2017
The boat was scheduled to serve the Indian Navy from 2012; seven years after signing a $3 billion deal with DCNS. However, the Indian firm MDL's ineptness in absorbing the technology transferred by Naval Group delayed the project by five years, according to sources.
Meanwhile, in the next few months, the Indian Navy is set to float a tender for six stealth submarines having both land-attack missile capabilities and air-independent propulsion system for greater underwater endurance.
