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.

[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.

[18] The mascot symbolises the "metamorphosis of the submarine’s character with the qualities of a stingray".