Indigenous sub set for mid-Dec sail

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 20

Eighteen years after an action plan was announced for having 24 modern submarines by 2030, the first indigenous conventionally powered submarine is set to be commissioned in mid-December.

The submarine, named ‘Kalvari’ (meaning deep sea tiger shark), will be the first diesel-electric version to be commissioned under the action plan announced in 1999 following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

India has since taken on lease a nuclear submarine from Russia and named it INS Chakra and commissioned one nuclear powered submarine of its own and named it INS Arihant.

The Kalvari is the first of the six scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines being built by Mazagon Docks Limited, a Ministry of Defence-owned company, in collaboration with France’s Naval Group (earlier known as DCNS). In security circles, a diesel–electric sub is referred to as “conventionally powered”. The last time a diesel-electric submarine was commissioned into the Navy was in July 2000.

The submarine would be equipped with anti-ship missiles and long-range guided torpedoes along with a modern sensor suite.

For Naval planners, the worrisome part, however, is that China’s submarine fleet—nuclear and conventionally powered—is four times that of India’s.

The Indian battle-ready under-sea fleet of diesel electric vessels is at present down to 14: nine Kilo-class (EKMs), four German-designed HDWs (SSKs) and one Akula class nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) on a 10-year lease from Russia (since 2012).

The Navy plans to have 22 submarines by 2021-22 and is looking at building more of these under the newly announced strategic partnership, which allows foreign companies to partner with Indian firms under the “Make in India” initiative. Making submarines here is one of the four targeted sectors, the other three being fighter jets, helicopters and tanks.

In comparison, China is rapidly expanding its submarine fleet. The US Department of Defence, in its annual report to the US Congress, has spelt out the rise of China’s submarine fleet.

The report, “Military and security developments involving the People’s Republic of China 2017”, says: “The People’s Liberation Army Navy places a high priority on the modernisation of its submarine force and presently possesses 63 vessels. By 2020, this force will likely grow to between 69 and 78 submarines.”