India Launches Second Scorpene Sub INS Khanderi
India's second Kalvari class Scorpene submarine was launched into water - or 'undocked' - by the Union minister of state for defence Dr Subhash Bhamre at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).
The submarine will undergo rigorous tests and trials on the surface and underwater before it is commissioned into the Indian Navy as "INS Khanderi" at the end of the year in December.
Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of the Naval Staff and a host of other dignitaries witnessed the launch. The submarine is named after a 17th century Maratha island fort.
The stealth features of INS Khanderi are reportedly unmatched by many submarines. The attack can be launched with torpedoes, as well as with tube-launched anti-ship missiles, while underwater or on surface.
Khanderi is the second of the six submarines being built at the MDL in collaboration with French naval defence firm DCNS of France, as part of Project-75 of the Indian Navy.
The first one, Kalvari, is completing sea trials and will be commissioned shortly into the Navy, a defence official said.
