It is a diesel-electric attack submarine which is designed by DCNS (French naval defence and energy company) and was manufactured at Mazagon Dock Limited in Mumbai.

Kalvari is the Malayalam word for tiger shark, a deep-sea predator in the Indian Ocean.

[1] The submarine was designated as Yard 11875 at Mazagon Dock Limited and construction began on 14 December 2006 with the first cutting of steel.

She was undocked to a pontoon from the East Yard dock on 6 April 2015 in the presence of the then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

The submarine hull construction was completed in 30 October 2015 and was delivered to the Indian Navy by September 2016.