Indian navy on shopping spree for stealth frigates

NEW DELHI: In a bid to shore up the country’s naval strength, the Indian Navy is exploring possible avenues of acquiring several stealth warships from European shipyards. And if everything goes well, it would be one of the biggest military contracts in recent times.

The Request for Information (RFI), the first formal step in the process of military acquisition, has been issued to about a dozen European and Russian shipyards. The proposed acquisition would be worth more than Rs 30,000 crore.

Confirming the issue, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta, said it was prompted by the delay in acquisition of modern equipment that set in during the past two decades due to constraints on defence budgets and other factors, and the inability of Indian shipyards to deliver quickly.

However, “It is not necessary that we will take this route,” Mehta said. The other available option is for Indian shipyards to step up warship production to meet the projected force levels.

The RFI is for a set of seven stealth frigates, each costing about Rs 4,000 crores. According to a proposal, the first ship would be built in the foreign shipyard, while the rest six would be built at Mazagon Docks Limited in Mumbai or at Garden Reach Shipyard in Kolkata.

The project, called P-17A, is envisaged as the next generation ships of the ongoing Project 17 Shivalik class multi-role stealth frigates.

The first Shivalik class ship is expected in early 2007. Though the cabinet approved it in 1997, the Shivalik class construction was delayed by a few years owing to various factors. Project 17 envisages a total of 12 ships, and the seven ships for which the RFI has now been issued would form a part of the project.

The Indian Navy recently has been looking at both domestic construction and foreign acquisition of warships to make up for the shortcomings. India’s first indigenous aircraft carrier is under construction in the Kochi Shipyard, while another carrier is being readied in Russia.

After acquiring three Talwar class guided missile frigates from Russia, the Navy is awaiting three more ships of the same class, but with an advanced technology from Russia. These three ships are expected to join the Navy sometime in 2011. By middle of next year, the massive US landing platform dock Trenton would also join the naval services. A total of 30 warships in slated to join the Navy in a decade.

India is already buying mothballed ships from Russia(mid size carrier) & the US(amphibious assault vessel),but these stealth frigates are longterm investments.Most of the ships which the US or UK may offer for sale are of the late 80s vintage which will be as cheap as newly built Russian equipment with NATO compatible equipment(which Russian manufacturers actually offer.

I'm glad to see that the Indian Navy is strengthening its amphibious force with the USS Trenton. While the ship is fairly old in comparison to most American amphibs, it will be the largest amphib owned and operated by a nation in the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia region. Combined with the new LST's that are just joining the fleet, this ship gives India a fairly formidable amphibious assault capability.

I wouldn't be much surprised if TMK37 turned out to be Pakistani (or similar: read Chinese). Some of the 'facts' he/she is spewing out are simply ludicrous! I wonder which nation he/she would advocate to get closer to the US ....maybe Pakistan (a global hellhole of Jihadism ....among other things).

The truth is India will continue to gain prominence in the region, and as one of the more important US allies in the future. In a world full of gelded/conquered/blind nations, there are very few countries that are both capable and willing to provide act not only as a buffer but also as an ally. India is one of a small number of such countries, and it also has the most potential (by far).

This is something that some, however, do not particularly like. For instance India's 'friends' across the border (hint: the paramount center of Jihadi ideology in the world, the only Moslem nation that has nuclear weaponry, and one that has the volatile mix of a hihgly radicalized section of its populace coupled with leadership that has the Sword of Damocles constantly hanging over their heads ....i.e., a veritable time bomb that will one day prove to be America's greatest problem).

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