News Analysis India

Tag: Karwar

  • Navy drills for security, not aggression: Rajnath Singh

    By Express News Service

    KARWAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Friday that India’s maritime power enhancement is being done not with an intention of any aggression, but is aimed at peace and security in the region. He was speaking after undertaking a sea sortie on one of India’s indigenously manufactured Kalvari-class conventional submarines INS Khanderi at the Karwar naval base in Karnataka.

    Speaking to the media, the defence minister, who is on a twoday visit here, said he got “firsthand insight into the combat capabilities and offensive strength of the state-of-the-art Kalvari-class submarine”. “India is enhancing its naval power not with any intention of aggression, but to protect its maritime boundaries and ensure peace and prosperity in the region,” he added. Sharing his experience on the sortie, Singh said, “I got to know how the country’s naval power fares under water. It was a unique experience.”

    Rajnath: Navy to induct 41 warships, subs soon

    “After this, my confidence in the Navy has further increased,” the defence minister added.Highlighting the country’s Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives, the minister said the Indian Navy will be inducting 41 warships and submarines in the coming days, of which 39 will be made under the Make-in-India initiative. “The INS Khanderi — the submarine in which I undertook the sea sortie — is developed in India. I have an emotional bond with it as I was present when it was commissioned in September 2019,” he added.

    A statement from the Defence ministry said during the four-hour sortie, “the full spectrum of capabilities of underwater operations of the stealth submarine was demonstrated” to Singh, and he witnessed a “wide range of operational drills with the submarine demonstrating the advanced sensor suite, combat system and weapon capability which provides it a distinct advantage in the subsurface domain”. He also got a glimpse of the submarine’s capability to effectively counter anti-submarine operations by an adversary. He was accompanied by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar along with other senior Navy and ministry officials.

    The operational sortie was accompanied by the deployment of ships of the Western Fleet, an anti-submarine mission sortie by a P-8I MPA and Sea King helicopter, a fly-past by MiG 29-K fighters and a search and rescue capability demonstration, the statement said. With this, Singh has now “witnessed first-hand the three-dimensional combat capability of the Indian Navy, after having embarked on the INS Vikramaditya in September 2019 and conducted a sortie on the P8I long-range maritime reconnaissance anti-submarine warfare aircraft earlier this month,” the statement added.

    The INS Khanderi, part of the P-75 project, under which six conventional submarines are being made in India, was commissioned on September 28, 2019. The Navy has commissioned four of these Kalvari-(Scorpene) class submarines, and two more are likely to be inducted by end next year. Before setting out on the sea sortie, the minister participated in a yoga session at the naval base. He also interacted with the crew of INS Khanderi.

  • Rajnath Singh reviews Project Seabird work in Karwar

    Express News Service
    KARWAR: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accompanied by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh, on Thursday reviewed the ongoing works at the Project Seabird Phase II-A site at the Karwar Naval Base, the country’s largest naval infrastructure project which aims at providing fleet support and maintenance of warships.

    The expanded naval complex will be able to support several major warships and at least 30 vessels, submarines and yard crafts. A state-of-the-art Naval Air Base and maintenance section is also said to be the part of the Phase II-A project, which is an extension of the Naval base totally spread across over 11,000 acres. The project was delayed for some time as the land earmarked for it was forest land and was cleared after the visit of former Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.

    The Phase II-A project, located on hilly terrain along the coast, involves several technical and environmental challenges. A significant part of the work will be carried out by reclaiming a part of the sea. Rajnath Singh, who was on his first visit, had a hectic schedule with several field visits and briefings regarding the progress of works. He  visited the Ship Lift tower, which, according to naval sources, is a new concept where an entire ship will be lifted to the jetty.

    The Raksha Mantri, accompanied by Admiral Karambir Singh, also did an aerial survey of the Naval area before he landed at the Naval base. On arrival, he was received by Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command, and Rear Admiral Mahesh Singh, Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area. He also interacted with the Naval staff and others.

  • General Bipin Rawat reviews Project Seabird work in Karwar

    By Express News Service
    KARWAR: Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat visited the naval base in Karwar on Monday, along with Vice Admiral R Hari Kumar, FOC-in-C (West), to review the progress of ongoing work under Project Seabird. They were received by Real Admiral Mahesh Singh, FOK on arrival.

    During the visit, Gen Rawat was briefed on the progress of activities with respect to the development of Project Seabird in site ‘A’, including the modernisation of Naval Ship Repair Yard (Karwar) and also the capabilities of Maritime Operations Center (MOC), Kar and COMNETCEN (Kar). Gen Rawat was also taken around the Naval Base where he was given on-site briefings and he reviewed the ongoing marine works, including capability demonstration at the Shiplift facility.

    The visit also included a tour of the Naval Harbour towards assessment of marine works / infrastructure being developed as part of Project Seabird Phase II A. Later during the day, he interacted with officers and sailors of Karnataka Naval Area over Barakhana.