NewsGate Press Network

The defence minister Rajnath Singh was ‘underwater’ for nearly four hours on Friday the 27th of May 2022  when he conducted a sea sortie on one of the most potent platforms of Indian Navy ‘INS Khanderi’ during his visit to Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka.

Rajnath was given a first-hand insight into the combat capabilities and offensive strength of the state-of-the-art Kalvari class submarine

Interacting with media persons after the sea sortie the defence minister said Indian Navy is undoubtedly one of “the frontline navies of the world and today the world’s largest maritime forces are ready to work and cooperate with India”, he said.

He described ‘INS Khanderi’ as a shining example of the ‘Make in India’ capabilities of the country while appreciating the fact that 39 of the 41 ships/submarines ordered by the Indian Navy are now being built in various Indian shipyards.

On the commissioning of India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier ‘Vikrant’, Rajnath Singh said, it will bolster the maritime security of the country, along with INS Vikramaditya.

He, however, assured that the preparations being made by the Indian Navy are not a provocation to any aggression, but a guarantee of peace and security in the Indian Ocean region.

The operational sortie in INS Khanderi 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 & rescue capability demonstration.