New Delhi: INS Vagir, an Indian Navy submarine, which is on an extended-range deployment since June will reach Fremantle, a port city in Australia on August 20, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The submarine, which is the Indian Navy’s fifth Kalvari class submarine, based in Mumbai, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January this year.

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 August 11-21 and AUSINDEX 23 from Aug 22-24, the ministry stated.

Basic, intermediate and advanced-level Anti-Submarine exercises are scheduled during the ongoing deployment. In addition, RAN submarine and Indian Naval P8i aircraft are scheduled to exercise with INS Vagir. This deployment will further augment the cooperation and synergy between Indian Navy and RAN.

The ongoing deployment is a testament to the reach and sustenance of Indian Navy submarines. The extended range deployment is the maiden deployment by an Indian Navy submarine to Australia and showcases the capability and professional acumen of Indian Navy to undertake sustained operations at extended ranges from the base port for prolonged durations, the Ministry further stated.

Earlier during the deployment, INS Vagir had visited Colombo as part of the International Day of Yoga on June 21. Source: Indian Defence News