INS Vela (S24)

For other ships with the same name, see INS Vela.

INS Vela (S24) (lit. 'Stingray') is the fourth submarine of the first batch of six Kalvari-class submarines for the Indian Navy. It is a diesel-electric attack submarine based on the Scorpène class, designed by French naval defence and energy group DCNS and manufactured by Mazagon Dock Limited, an Indian shipyard in Mumbai. The first cutting of steel for the submarine began on 14 July 2009,^[15] and the ship was launched on 6 May 2019.^[1][16]

INS Vela (S24) during its commissioning ceremony
History
India
Name	INS Vela
Namesake	Vela (S40)
Ordered	2005
Builder	Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Mumbai
Launched	6 May 2019[1]
Acquired	9 November 2021[2]
Commissioned	25 November 2021 [3]
Identification	Pennant number: S24
Motto	Vigilant, Valiant, Victorious
Status	In Service [4]
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Kalvari-class submarine
Displacement	Surfaced: 1,615 tonnes (1,780 short tons) Submerged: 1,775 tonnes (1,957 short tons)[5]
Length	67.5 m (221 ft)[6]
Beam	6.2 m (20 ft)[7]
Height	12.3 m (40 ft)[6]
Draught	5.8 m (19 ft)[7]
Propulsion	4 x MTU 12V 396 SE84 diesel engines[7] 360 x battery cells[6] DRDO PAFC Fuel Cell AIP (To be added in mid-life refit)
Speed	Surfaced: 11 kn (20 km/h) Submerged: 20 kn (37 km/h)[7]
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 8 kn (15 km/h) (surfaced) 550 nmi (1,020 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) (submerged)[8]
Endurance	50 days[9]
Test depth	350 metres (1,150 ft) [10]
Complement	8 officers 35 sailors[11]
Electronic warfare & decoys	C303/S anti-torpedo countermeasure system[12]
Armament	6 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes for 18 SUT torpedoes OR SM.39 Exocet anti-ship missiles 30 mines in place of torpedoes[13][14]

The submarine was delivered to Indian Navy on 9 November 2021,^[2] and formally commissioned into the service by Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Karambir Singh on 25 November.^[4]

The submarine inherits its name from INS Vela (S40) which served in the Navy from 1973 to 2010, and was the lead ship of the Vela-class. The crew of the INS Vela (S40) was present at the commissioning ceremony of the INS Vela (S24).^[17] Vela is the name of an Indian fish from the stingray species known for its aggression and offensive power, and the ability to camouflage itself from predators.^[18] The submarine's crest depicts the stingray swimming across the blue seas.^[15] The ship's mascot is a sub-ray, a portmanteau of submarine and stingray.^[18] The mascot symbolises the "metamorphosis of the submarine’s character with the qualities of a stingray".^[15]

Service history

INS Vela made a port call at Port of Colombo, Sri Lanka for a three day visit from 11 to 13 November 2024 under the command of Commander Kapil Kumar.^[19]

See also

• List of submarines of the Indian Navy
• List of active Indian Navy ships