Indian Navy press release
INS Vagir, an Indian Navy (IN) submarine, is on an extended-range deployment. The deployment commenced in Jun 2023 and Vagir will reach Fremantle, Australia on 20 Aug 2023. The submarine, which is the Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Jan 2023 and is based in Mumbai.
During her stay in Australia, INS Vagir will participate in various exercises with Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia. Concurrently, on the East coast of Australia, Indian Naval ships and aircraft are involved in Exercise MALABAR 23 from 11-21 Aug 23 and AUSINDEX 23 from 22-24 Aug 23.
During the ongoing deployment, basic, intermediate and advanced-level Anti-Submarine exercises are scheduled. In addition, the RAN submarine and Indian Naval P8i aircraft are scheduled to exercise with INS Vagir. This deployment will further augment the cooperation and synergy between IN and RAN.
The ongoing deployment is a testament to the reach and sustenance of IN submarines. The extended range deployment is the maiden deployment by an IN submarine to Australia and showcases the capability and professional acumen of IN to undertake sustained operations at extended ranges from the base port for prolonged durations. Earlier during the deployment, INS Vagir had visited Colombo as part of the International Day of Yoga on 21 Jun 23.
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Naval News comments:
The visit of INS Vagir to Australia comes amidst increasing cooperation between the two nations regarding maritime security. An Indian Air Force C-130J and an Indian Navy Do-228 were deployed at Australia’s Cocos Islands for close to a week in July. Indian Navy P-8I aircraft have been frequently deployed to Australia for joint operations.
India is increasingly relying on like-minded maritime partners for enhancing its submarine operations. Oman has hosted multiple Indian submarines since 2017, including INS Vela in March 2023. Earlier in February, the first ever visit by an Indian submarine to Indonesia occurred when INS Sindukesari docked at Jakarta. Sri Lanka hosted INS Vagir prior to its continuous journey to Fremantle.
Such long distance operations by the Kalvari-class submarine also demonstrates India’s capability to monitor the straits of Sunda and Lombok, among others. This is significant as these straits are often cited as alternatives to the heavily monitored Strait of Malacca for Chinese vessels transiting the Indian Ocean Region.
