Indian Navy to lease Russian N-submarine(Akula-II)

PTI ^ | 21 October, 2004 | PTI

[CarrotAndStick]

MOSCOW: India is to lease a multi-role nuclear submarine from Russia for 10 years under a deal signed earlier this year, according to the defence industry sources.

"The two nations have inked the deal for the 10-year lease of the submarine of project 971 (NATO: Akula-II)," Itar-Tass reported, quoting unnamed defence industry sources. The Akula-II class third generation nuclear powered submarine was inducted by the Soviet Navy in 1984 and is said to be superior to the deadly US 'Los Angeles' class nuclear submarines.

According to Itar-Tass, a similar N-submarine "Vepr" (Boar), built in 1996, recently took part in the first ever war games with France. The submarine to be leased by India is a Project 971 'Nerpa' (Sea Seal) nuclear submarine, which is being constructed at the Amur ship building facility, Komsomolsk-on-Amur town right across the Chinese border. "It is 85 per cent ready right now," another source was quoted as saying by Interfax agency.

India and Russia had agreed on the leasing deal at the beginning of this year, Interfax reported, quoting an unnamed official. The submarine is expected to be ready by 2007. An Indian crew will then arrive in Russia for the training. According to experts, India would be paying tens of millions of dollars annually for the lease.

In 1990s, India and Russia had agreed on a package to boost Indian Navy's blue water capability, which included the simultaneous acquisition of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, lease of two Akula class nuclear submarines and four Tu-22M3 (NATO: Backfire) strategic bombers. In January last, the two countries had announced inking of Gorshkov deal in New Delhi paving the way for progress on other components of the package.

[Little Ray]

Hmmm.

Maybe we need to stage a manuever where we destroy a "hostile" carrier group?

[CarrotAndStick]

???

[CarrotAndStick]

Does China have N-carriers or N-subs?

[Little Ray]

China has nuke subs and they bought the hulk of a Russian carrier to study for the purpose of creating their own. I think they even have some navalized SU-27s and MiG-29s to form an air group, once they have a working carrier.

However, I was thinking we need to remind India that we're number 1 when it comes to naval power projection.

Come to think of it, what does India need a carrier and a pair of high-speed nuke subs for?

[Doogle]

Indian Navy to lease Russian N-submarine(Akula-II)

??..yeah but can they leave the Indian ocean without raising their insurance premium?

*smirk*

Doogle

[dagar]

LOL! I think calling the Backfire a 'strategic' bomber is a bit of an overstatement. No legs and small payload. Make great ASM platform though (against Carriers, CSG).

[grobdriver]

Wonder if Pakistan is in the market for some P-3s?

[Koblenz]

Russian subs, eh? Wonder what would happen if India and Canada had a war against each other. All subs on both sides would get sunk without a single depth charge or torpedo being fired.

[CarrotAndStick]

Oops, PING!!!

[Lou L]

a similar N-submarine "Vepr"...recently took part in the first ever war games with France.

France promptly surrendered.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

China and India have had a long running feud. The Indian Ocean is a likely place for this to play out.

[Rebelbase]

"??..yeah but can they leave the Indian ocean without raising their insurance premium?"

Probably; It's the milage that'll get them though. :-)

[Cronos]

And you seriously think of India as an enemy state instead of as a potential friend -- or at the very least as a state with whom we have no military quarrel?

[Cronos]

However, I was thinking we need to remind India that we're number 1 when it comes to naval power projection.

Oh, the Indians know that and they are NOT competing with the US. They are in competition with China (and their navy does outclass China). As far as naval power goes, the Indian navy is in transition from being a second rate to a first rate power and should be there in the next year or so. China is still a second rate naval power. The first rate naval powers are the UK, France, Australia, Japan, Russia and maybe Italy. The US is still a hyper-power militarily and especially in the case of the navy we have no rival and no foreseeable rival for the next few decades, if not uptil the middle of this century.

[Cronos]

Giving P-3s to a slamofascist regime -- giving weapons to the enemy. Very smart....

[Cronos]

China and India have had a long running feud. The Indian Ocean is a likely place for this to play out.

Maybe not -- India's now sending some of it's fleet to the South China Sea. They have no intention of letting China into the India ocean and neither do the Indonesians. China can't get into the Indian ocean except past the Indonesia archipelago

[Little Ray]

Yes, but they will want more than two of 'em.

[grobdriver]

The enemy? Pakistan?
I thought India was the belligerent over there...