In a pivotal development for India’s defense capabilities, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) celebrated a major milestone with the signing of the Second Reading acceptance documents (D448) for the INS Vela, the fourth submarine of the Kalvari class. The event was held at MDL’s headquarters in Mumbai, attended by distinguished officials from both MDL and the Indian Navy.
The historic documents were signed by Cmde S B Jamgaonkar (Retd.), who serves as the Director of Shipbuilding & Heavy Engineering at MDL, and Rear Admiral R. Adhisrinivasan, the Chief Staff Officer (Technical) of the Indian Navy. The ceremony was attended by high-ranking personnel from both organizations, reflecting the significance of the event in strengthening India’s maritime defense capabilities in the Indian Ocean region.
INS Vela is a notable addition to the Kalvari-class series, which consists of six advanced diesel-electric attack submarines being developed by MDL in collaboration with France’s Naval Group. Named after the tiger shark, INS Vela and its sister submarines are designed to conduct a range of operations, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, and special operations. The submarine was launched in May 2019 and follows the commissioning of its predecessors—INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, and INS Karanj—between 2017 and 2019.
The Project-75 initiative is a testament to India’s commitment to self-reliance in defense manufacturing, in line with the government’s #MAKEININDIA campaign. MDL has played a crucial role in this mission, having delivered 805 vessels since its inception in 1960, of which 30 are warships and eight are submarines. Furthermore, the Kalvari-class submarines are slated to be enhanced with an indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, for which MDL secured a significant contract in December 2024, valued at ₹1,990 crores. This upgrade is expected to significantly boost the submarines’ stealth capabilities and operational endurance, allowing them to remain submerged for longer durations.
The signing ceremony took place in a conference room adorned with MDL’s insignia and portraits of national leaders, serving as a powerful symbol of the enduring collaboration between MDL and the Indian Navy. The event underscored MDL’s expanding expertise in submarine construction and highlighted India’s growing stature as a formidable naval power amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the region.
