The second Scorpene-type submarine, designed by Naval Group, from the Indian Navy's P75 program, will enter service this September 28, after having passed sea trials for almost a year. The Khanderi will join its sister ship, the Kalvari, which entered service in December 2017, while the third example, the Karanj, is currently carrying out its sea trials, and the Vela, the fourth unit of the class, has been launched in May 2019, and is preparing to begin its own trials. The final two units, the Vagir and Vagsheer submarines, are under construction, and the entire fleet will be in service by 2023.
Despite a difficult start, the P75 program, awarded to Naval Group in 2012, has now reached cruising speed, with on-time production meeting the qualitative requirements of the Indian Navy. Note that the deployment of Kalvari is already the subject of all the attentions of the Pakistani Navy, aware that the submersible significantly extends the means available to the Indian General Staff, vis-Ã -vis the Kilo submarines of Russian origin, hitherto used.
The industrial and operational successes of Naval Group and the shipyards of the P75 Mazagon Docks Ltd program bode well for the new P75I program launched by the Indian authorities in June, in order to build on site, like the P75 program, 6 classic submarines with, this time, anaerobic propulsion. As before, this program will see Naval Group pitted against German, Swedish and Russian, as well as South Korean and probably Spanish. Under these conditions, the relationships of trust established between the Indian and French teams during the P75 program will certainly play an important role in determining the winner. And the experience acquired by Naval Group of the twists and turns and particularities of Defense programs will certainly not be too much in this area.