India’s navy on Wednesday simultaneously launched a submarine, a destroyer and a frigate built at a state-run shipyard, underscoring the importance of protecting the Indian Ocean region through which 95 per cent of the country’s trade moves amid a strong Chinese presence.
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Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the Atlantic Ocean’s importance has shifted to the Indian Ocean region, which is becoming a centre of international power rivalry.
“India is giving the biggest importance to making its navy powerful to protect its interests,” he said.
“The commissioning of three major naval combatants marks a significant leap forward in realising India’s vision of becoming a global leader in defence manufacturing and maritime security,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said while commissioning the vessels at the state-run Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai.
The situation in the Indian Ocean region is challenging with the Chinese navy, India’s main rival, growing exponentially, defence analyst Rahul Bedi said.
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Bedi said the INS Vagsheer submarine, the sixth among a French licence-built Kalvari (Scorpene)-class conventional diesel-electric submarines, is aimed at replacing ageing Indian underwater platforms and plugging serious capability gaps in existing ones. India now has a total of 16 submarines.