INS Vagsheer: Key features, capabilities

The sixth and last of the French Scorpene-class submarines, INS Vagsheer, was launched into water at the Mazagon Docks in Mumbai.

It was launched by Veena Ajay Kumar (wife of Union Defence Secretary), in keeping with the naval tradition of launch and naming by a woman.
The six submarines were being built under Project-75 by the Mazagon Docks under technology transfer from the Naval Group as part of a $3.75-billion deal signed in October 2005:

P 75 is one of two lines of submarines, the other being P75I, as part of a plan approved in 1999 for indigenous submarine construction with technology taken from overseas firms.

Vagsheer is named after the sand fish, a deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean.
The first submarine Vagsheer, from Russia, was commissioned into the Indian Navy on December 26, 1974, and was decommissioned on April 30, 1997.
The new Vagsheer will be officially named at the time of its commissioning.

Vagsheer can take up to eight officers and 35 men.
It is 67.5 metres long and 12.3 metres high, with a beam measuring 6.2 metres Vagsheer can reach top speed of 20 knots when submerged and a top speed of 11 knots when it surfaces
It has four MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesel engines, 360 battery cells for power, and a silent Permanently Magnetised Propulsion Motor.
The hull, fin and hydroplanes are designed for minimum underwater resistance and all equipment inside the pressure hull is mounted on shock-absorbing cradles for enhanced stealth.

Vagsheer is a diesel attack submarine, designed to perform sea denial as well as access denial warfare against the adversary.
It can do offensive operations across the spectrum of naval warfare including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying and area surveillance.
It is enabled with a C303 anti-torpedo counter measure system.
It can carry up to 18 torpedoes or Exocet anti-ship missiles, or 30 mines in place of torpedoes.
Its superior stealth features include advanced acoustic absorption techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimised shape.
It has the ability to launch a crippling attack using precision guided weapons, underwater or on surface.

Vagsheer will be commissioned into the Indian Navy’s Western Command after 12 to 18 months when sea trials end.
It will be based with Western Naval Command, mostly in Mumbai.
The submarine will undergo a very comprehensive and rigorous set of tests and trials, for more than a year, to ensure delivery of a fully combat worthy submarine.

In maritime terms, a class of ships is a group of vessels that have the same make, purpose and displacement.

Chakra Class: Under a 10-year lease from Russia since 2012
Arihant Class: Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines
Shishumar Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines Indian variant of the Type 209 submarines developed by the German Navy
Kalvari Class: Diesel-electric attack submarines designed by French company DCNS
Sindhughosh Class: Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines built with the help of Russia
Scorpene-Class: French submarines that can undertake various types of missions such as anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, area surveillance etc.

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