Posted on 12/02/2007 3:29:19 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
India plans to buy 6 new subs, says Navy chief
2 Dec 2007, 0305 hrs IST,Rajat Pandit,TNN
NEW DELHI: With both Pakistan and China progressively adding muscle to their underwater arms, India too has begun the hunt for six more submarines to add to the six being built at Mazagon Docks under the mammoth Rs 18,798-crore Scorpene project.
"We are now actively looking at the second line of submarines after the Scorpenes. I think the global tender for the six new submarines should be floated in the next financial year (2008-2009)," navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta told TOI. The contenders for the six new submarines could include the German HDW and Russian Amur submarines, with the French Scorpenes also being in the reckoning for a repeat order.
At present, India has just 16 conventional diesel-electric submarines — 10 Russian Kilo-class, four German HDW-class and two very-old Foxtrot-class vessels. The Scorpene project, under which the six submarines will roll out between 2012 and 2017, is crucial since naval projections show India will be left with only nine out of its 16 submarines by the middle of the next decade.
The long-term perspective programme is to acquire indigenous capability in design, development and construction of submarines, with a total of 24 submarines to be manufactured in a phased manner. But what about the fact that India neither has nuclear-powered submarines, nor SLBM (submarine-launched ballistic missile) capabilities, at present? "We have come to the final threshold. I think within two years or so, we should have that kind of a capability," said Admiral Mehta.
Though the navy chief did not elaborate, India is on course to lease an Akula-II class nuclear-powered submarine from Russia from end-2008 onwards for 10 years, under a Rs 2,600-crore deal signed four years ago, as reported by TOI earlier.
Moreover, India is taking strides towards building its own nuclear submarines under the hush-hush Rs 14,000-crore ATV (advanced technology vessel) programme at Vishakapatnam. The first of the five long-delayed ATVs is scheduled to be fully-ready by 2010 or so. Indian defence scientists are also developing SLBMs and SLCMs (cruise missiles) under the equally-secretive 'Sagarika' project.
But it will take another three-four years for an integrated SLBM or SLCM capability to be ready. Asked about the modernisation of Chinese and Pakistan navies, Admiral Mehta said, "They have their national interests to protect, we have ours. Naval developments are not threat-specific, they are capability driven. We define our capabilities in tune with our national interests."
rajat.pandit@timesgroup.com
Swedish or German...definitely not Mexican.
And India needs subs to do exactly what? support Nato operations? protect their vital sea lanes from chinese aircraft carriers?
For pretty much the same reasons that most other countries need subs for.
Not quite yet, but coming soon. The People's Liberation Army Navy is rapidly expanding.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/2004/art6-w04.htm
The Chinese are in fact pursuing a containment policy toward India, both in their state-level alliance with Pakistan and in their basing deals with various regional countries, including Pakistan. China will have two significant regional naval bases in the Indian Ocean basin in a few years. They also have pretensions to preclusive ownership of the adjacent South China Sea (and all its mineral resources) and have advanced paper claims that this or that body of water is mare clausum -- including the Formosa Strait, which the United States Navy keeps open under all administrations including even Comrade Bill Clinton's, to the great annoyance of the Chinese.
Lastly, the U.S. has recently begun promoting joint naval exercises among the U.S., Japan (sometimes the JSDF flotilla is referred to as "the Eighth Fleet", for their ability to coordinate very closely with USN units), India, and Australia.
The Indians could have done much better than the generic French Scorpene type, however. The Australians rate their long-range, long-endurance Swedish-designed Collins SSK as much better than the Scorpenes, and that was before they started receiving upgraded U.S. fire-control systems identical to those being installed in our own newbuild Virginia-class SSN's.
Thats exactly the kind of question a democrat would ask.
When is that after build going to hit the waves? I can’t wait to see our adoption of deisel-electric boats once more. If these DE boats are more quiet than nuke boats to find, we need to have a dozen or so of these up graded Collins class boats. What do you think Sir?
curiosity bump
I thought this was about purchasing russian subs? I’ll reread it
The Collins class is on a different level from the Scorpene or the Type-214.You really can’t compare them.It’s a much larger boat with greater endurance & armament capability.Only the Japanese & Australians build/require boats like these.The Scorpene being much smaller has an AIP system (giving greater dived endurance),in addition to much smaller crewing requirements(30 men vs 45 for the Collins).
About the boat itself,it’s a good boat,but lets not overrate them-the Aussies had serious problems with quieting,maximum dept levels(one boat almost sank) that they had to rush the type to recieve upgrades less almost immediately after induction.
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