India’s Submarine INS Vagir On Extended-Range Deployment To Australia

New Delhi:

The Indian Navy submarine INS Vagir is on an extended-range deployment to Australia, the Defence Ministry said in a statement today.

The submarine will reach Australia’s Fremantle sometime between tomorrow and Wednesday.

INS Vagir, the Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, was commissioned in January this year and is based in Mumbai.

During her stay in Australia, INS Vagir will participate in exercises with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) units on the West Coast of Australia.

Concurrently, on the East Coast of Australia, Indian warships and aircraft are involved in Exercise Malabar and AusIndEx.

During the 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 the navies of the two nations, the Defence Ministry said in the statement.

The ongoing deployment is a testament to the reach and sustenance of Indian Navy submarines, it said.

The extended-range deployment is the first deployment by an Indian Navy submarine to Australia and showcases the capability and professional acumen of the navy to undertake sustained operations at long ranges from the base port for prolonged durations.

Earlier during the deployment, INS Vagir visited Colombo as part of the International Day of Yoga on June 21.