Mazagaon Dock to launch 1 P-15B Destroyer and 1 P-17A Frigate in April and May

Source : IgMp Bureau

P-15B Destroyer (Left) and P-17A Frigate (Right)

Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) will launch INS Vagsheer on 20th April, which is the sixth and last submarine under the Project-75 Kalvari class submarines of the Indian Navy, that will be followed by sea trials and commissioning by the end of this year.

The Chairman and Managing Director of Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) has confirmed that two more platforms are planned to be launched that includes one Project-15 Bravo (Visakhapatnam class) Destroyer in April and one Project-17A Nilgiri class Stealth Frigate in May this year.

Talks have also started to revive the plan to construct three more Scorpene submarines under Kalvari class, as the Project-75I program ran into doldrum after several global submarine makers have withdrawn their names from the bidding process due to the clause of a proven AIP system powered by Lithium ion battery packs, which many submarine builders couldn’t offer.

This means P-75I tender needs to be re-tendered again. And re-tendering of Project-75I removing the requirement of sea proven Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system will mean that the whole process will not start before 2024.