Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate three frontline naval combatants, INS Surat, INS Nilgiri and INS Vaghsheer, to the nation on their commissioning at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Wednesday, January 15.
In another function, PM Modi will also inaugurate an Iskcon Temple in Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, a PMO statement said on Monday.
Ahead of his visit, PM Modi, in a post on X, said that the commission of the three frontline naval combatants will strengthen India’s efforts to achieve “self-reliance” and “being a global leader in defence”.
“Tomorrow, 15th January, is going to be a special day as far as our naval capacities are concerned. The commissioning of three frontline naval combatants will strengthen our efforts towards being a global leader in defence and augment our quest towards self-reliance,” PM Modi said on January 14.
As per Navy officials, INS Vaghsheer, the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene Project, was constructed in collaboration with the Naval Group of France.
Also known as the ‘hunter-killer’ submarine, INS Vaghsheer is equipped with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and is capable of both anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare apart from intelligence gathering and mine-laying capabilities. As per defence experts, it is poised to strengthen India’s maritime dominance and act as a deterrent to adversaries like China and Pakistan.
INS Surat, a guided missile destroyer, is one of the largest and most sophisticated destroyers in the world with an indigenous content of 75 per cent and is equipped with the state-of-the-art weapon-sensor packages and advanced network-centric capabilities, as per Navy officials.
Similarly, INS Nilgiri, the first ship of the P17A Stealth Frigate Project, has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Warship Design Bureau and incorporates advanced features for enhanced survivability, seakeeping, and stealth, reflecting the next generation of indigenous frigates, they said.
