"Stealth is golden at the sea"
It is rightly said that nothing is more vital during a war on a naval front than stealth. The significance of the fact is efficiently mechanized into INS Karanj of the Indian navy, built absolutely indigenously in India, that was commissioned on Mar 10 at the Mazgaon Docks in Mumbai, in the presence of Former Chief of Navy Staff Admiral (Retd) VS Shekhawat as the Guest of Honor and the present Chief of Navy Staff Admiral Karambir Singh. The commissioning of the ship in the Indian navy is an extremely significant event in the history of India, for not one but many reasons.
Milestone for 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'
The INS Karanj was launched on Jan 31, 2018 as part of a testimony to the 'make in India' spirit. INS Karanj is Indian navy's third stealth Scorpene class Submarine that is being commissioned in the navy, after INS Kalavari in 2017 and INS Khanderi in 2019. However, INS Karanj shares special position among the three. That is because of absolute self reliance in the development of this submarine specifically, compared to the earlier commissioned Scorpene class submarines.The Scorpene Submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world.
The Scorpene-class submarines are a class of diesel-electric attack submarines jointly developed by the French Direction des Constructions Navales (DCNS) and the Spanish company Navantia, and now by Naval Group, which features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion (AIP). A total of six Scorpene Class submarines are being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with Naval Group, France.
What makes INS Karanj stand out from the prior two scorpene class submarines is that the first two were constructed under the inspection and support of French overseeing teams, whereas Karanj has been constructed completely indigenously, without any direct support from the French. In fact, even the training of the crew has also been conducted by an Indian training team. While the first two submarines were being constructed under the support of French overseeing teams, until the construction of Karanj the complete transfer of technology from the French to the Indian navy had been exercised, thus leading to a complete indigenous process for the construction, training and finally commissioning of the scorpene submarine.
Also read: Indigenously-built INS Karanj commissioned into Indian Navy
The transfer of technology is the most crucial part of the construction of INS Karanj, that falls aligned with the core motive of 'Make in India' as well as 'Atmanirbhar Bharat.' In case of defense imports, what shares the most importance is the 'technology' and once the technology has been transported completely to India, what else is required to become self reliant in the area.
The 'quietest' submarine of the world
Karanj is easy to maneuver and is extremely precise in finding and targeting the enemy. INS Karanj is built with potent sensors and weapons to neutralize almost any threat, above or below the sea surface. The submarine has a fire power of potent torpedoes and missiles, which provide her with an offensive capability to deter the enemy. She is capable of carrying out missions like anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare as well as mine laying. INS Karanj is also capable of launching marine commandos for special operations behind the enemy lines. In case of self defense, she has a state-of-the-art torpedo decoy system. However, what remains to be the highlight of the submarine is the capability to stay undetected.
It is rightly said that "for a submarine, silence is not only golden but it is decisive." Emphasizing particularly on this aspect, the Indian navy has developed the quietest submarine of the world. The 'silent permanent magnet synchronous motor' is what makes the submarine the quietest in the world. Every single detail of the submarine is designed in a way that would provide her with excessive stealth. Even the hull form of the submarine is designed to minimize noise. The INS Karanj would form part of the Western Naval Command’s Submarine fleet and would be another potent part of the Command’s arsenal.
An inheritance of courage from the war of 1971
The present year is being celebrated as the ‘Swarnim Vijay Varsh’ to commemorate the completion of 50 years of the 1971 Indo – Pak war. The reason why INS Karanj was commissioned specifically during the 'Swarnim Vijay Varsh' is that the name has been associated with the war and in fact, has also played a decisive role. The old INS Karanj, was commissioned in the Indian navy on Sep 4, 1969 at Riga in the erstwhile USSR.
The reason to specifically time the commissioning of such a lethal submarine in the Indian navy that is constructed completely indigenously, during the commemoration of 50 golden years of the Ind-Pak war of 1971 represents the hidden symbolism of the fact that India even today, dominates the waters that surrounds the Indian land from its three sides and that there has been only advancement and progress over the large and significant period of 50 years, after the war.
“Developing a scorpene class submarine all by ourselves which is also the quietest submarine of the world, for a country like India that is globally still listed as a 'developing nation' is a huge milestone for India in its journey to become Atmanirbhar and the day of commissioning of INS Karanj in the Indian navy on Mar 10, 2021 will be remembered as a historic day in Indian defense, in future.”