 "First indigenous submarine, Kalvari to be inducted in July-Aug: Navy chief")
The first of the indigenous Scorpene submarines, Kalvari, is likely to be inducted in the Indian Navy by July-August, Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba said on Wednesday.
"Kalvari is going through its final phase of trial and we are hopeful to take delivery sometime in July-August," Lanba said on the sidelines of a seminar here.
The submarine had on May 27 test-fired a torpedo, with sources saying that it was the last major test that was required before the submarine could be inducted.
On March 2, the Kalvari, the first of the six Scorpene submarines being built in India, had test-fired an anti-ship missile for the first time.
The Scorpene submarines are being built by Mazagaon Dockyard Limited under Project 75 with transfer of technology from the collaborator, DCNS of France. Two of the submarines are ready, and rest four are under construction.
The second submarine Khanderi was launched on January 12 this year, and will undergo rigorous tests and trials in the harbour and at sea, on surface and underwater till December this year, and will be commissioned in the Navy after that.
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The state-of-the-art features of the Scorpenes include superior stealth and ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision guided weapons.
The attacks could be carried out with torpedoes, tube-launched anti-ship missiles both while underwater or on surface in all theatres, including the tropics, giving it invulnerability unmatched by many other submarines.
Asked about Sri Lanka's denial to a Chinese submarine for docking at one of its harbours, the Navy Chief said: "We were not in any dialogue or in touch with Sri Lanka, this is a decision they took on their own."
Asked about the indigenous aircraft carrier's induction, the Navy Chief said the IAC construction is going on as per the timeline. "We are hopeful she will start trials in 2019 and we will take delivery in 2020," he said.