The Indian Navy on Wednesday launched its third Scorpene-class submarine Karanj in Mumbai.
The Scorpene-class submarines are a modernised fleet equipped with features that make them extremely stealthy and noiseless during operation, The Times of India reported. Karanj is the third of six such submarines being built by shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Limited, in collaboration with French shipbuilding major Naval Group, PTI reported.
Karanj has been built to launch guided weapons, torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, both while underwater or on the surface, The Times of India reported.
The first of the six submarines, Kalvari, was launched in 2015, and commissioned into the Indian Navy in December 2017. The second one in the series, Khanderi, was launched in January 2017 and is currently undergoing tests.
Karanj, too will be tested over the next year before it is commissioned, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Tuesday. Lanba’s wife, Reena Lanba, launched the submarine at the event.
An older version of Karanj was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1969 and retired in August 2003, the Navy said. “It served the nation for 34 years and also took part in the 1971 operations.”
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