Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi seen walking past INS Vaghsheer at the commissioning ceremony on 15 January 2025. (Press Information Bureau, Government of India)
India commissioned a submarine, a destroyer, and a frigate at a ceremony held in Mumbai on 15 January, the country's Ministry of Defence announced on the same day.
Inducted at the ceremony were the Indian Navy's sixth Kalvari (Scorpène)-class diesel-electric submarine INS Vagsheer, its seventh Kolkata/Visakhapatnam (Project 15A/15B)-class destroyer INS Surat, and its first Nilgiri (Project 17A)-class frigate, INS Nilgiri.
In his address at the ceremony, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the commissioning as a testimony to the Indian Navy's growing strength amid a rapidly changing environment in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
“A large part of the world's trade and commerce passes through IOR. Due to geo-strategic reasons, the region is also becoming a part of the international power rivalry,” said Modi.
“In such a situation, the presence of a strong Indian Navy in IOR becomes our biggest priority. The commissioning of three modern platforms today is an important milestone towards achieving our goal,” he added.
Vagsheer is the final boat in India's Kalvari class and it was launched by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in April 2022. It was built in collaboration with French shipbuilder Naval Group.
The boat displaces 1,615 tonnes when surfaced, 1,775 tonnes when submerged, and is capable of firing the Exocet SM39 sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and C303/S anti-torpedo countermeasure systems.
Surat was launched by MDL in May 2022 and is part of a contract to build four Project 15B warships for the Indian Navy. It has an overall length of 163.95 m, an overall beam of 17.71 m, and a hull draught of 5.4 m.
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