Indian shipyards are building 39 of the Indian Navy's 41 ships and submarines, Rajnath Singh said

During his visit to Karwar Naval Base in Karnataka on Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh undertook a sea sortie of Indian Naval Submarine Khanderi.

Talking about his experience in a tweet, he said, "Had a wonderful and thrilling experience during my sea sortie of ‘INS Khanderi’ today. Spent hours under the sea and witnessed the combat capabilities and offensive strength of the state-of-the-art Kalvari class submarine."

He got a quick glance at the state-of-the-art Kalvari class submarine's combat capability and attacking capability.

The operational sortie 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, the Ministry of Defence said.

With this, the Defence Minister has now witnessed first-hand the three-dimensional combat capability of Indian Navy, after having embarked INS Vikramaditya in September 2019 and conducted a sortie on the P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft earlier this month, the ministry added.

While speaking to reporters after the sea sortie, Defence Minister Singh described the Indian Navy as a modern, powerful, and credible force capable of being attentive, gallant, and successful in any scenario.

"Today, Indian Navy is counted among the frontline navies of the world. Today, the world’s largest maritime forces are ready to work and cooperate with India," he remarked.

Singh praised the 'INS Khanderi' as a "shining example of India's 'Make in India' capabilities." He also praised the fact that Indian shipyards are building 39 of the Indian Navy's 41 ships and submarines.

He further stressed that the number of platforms launched by the Indian Navy, as well as the speed with which they were launched, enhanced the commitment to achieve Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat.'

Rajnath Singh also commented on the launching of India's first indigenous aircraft carrier, 'INS Vikrant,' saying that it, together with INS Vikramaditya, will reinforce the country's maritime security.

However, he underlined that the Indian Navy's preparations are not "a provocation to any aggression," but rather "a guarantee of peace and security in the Indian Ocean area."