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| India-Pakistan |
| The sub total: India's SSNs |
| 2008-08-27 |
| India's strategic establishment has begun the countdown to two important milestones. In late June, a modified Akula-II class nuclear-powered attack submarine, the Chakra, began harbour acceptance trials at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard in the Russian far east. In the next few months, the Russian submarine, formerly the Nerpa (Seal), is to sail into the Pacific Ocean off Vladivostok for full-fledged sea trials with a Russian crew. If the trials are successfully concluded, say officials, the Chakra will be commissioned at Vladivostok with an Indian crew who will sail it to India by August 15, 2009. The choice of date is not accidental. The second milestone, too, has been timed with a national event. On January 26, 2009, the sluice gates of an enclosed dry-dock in Visakhapatnam are to be opened and the world will take its first look at India's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV), as it enters the waters. Nuclear submarines are powered by a nuclear reactor which produces enormous heat that runs steam turbines. They can stay underwater almost indefinitely and stealthily launch ballistic missiles from under the sea. The national maritime doctrine unveiled last year calls a nuclear-armed missile submarine the "most credible of all arsenals in a second strike" and "most preferred" for small nuclear forces". The aim is to field three submarines equipped with nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles-the so-called third leg of the nuclear triad comprising air, land and sea-launched weapons-on "deterrent patrols" (to deter a potential adversary from launching a nuclear first strike) by 2015. India's ATV is based on the Russian Akula-I class submarine, but is powered by a single indigenously-built nuclear reactor and equipped with 12 K-15 ballistic missiles or 16 of the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. Three ATVs are under construction, and hull fabrication and integration of the nuclear reactor on the first submarine have been completed. Like the Chakra, it will begin harbour trials in a specially made, enclosed anchorage in the Ship Building Centre at Visakhapatnam. Here, all the onboard systems, including the reactor and steam turbines, are to be fully tested before it can sail out for sea trials in the Bay of Bengal. ATV is expected to join the navy after a two-year shakedown period. Due to its design commonality with ATV, the Chakra is being leased primarily to train crews to man ATVs. With its cruise missiles and torpedoes, it will also be used for sea-denial missions in the Indian Ocean. The under construction 12,000-tonne Chakra was to be completed and leased to India for 10 years under a $650-million deal signed in 2004. It was to be inducted into the navy on August 15 this year, but was delayed by a year, following technical snags. "Project India", as the classified lease programme is called, seems to be back on track after being seemingly caught in last year's freeze in Indo-Russian defence ties over escalating costs of the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya's refit. |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #3 The Indian SSBN are not as much for Pakistan as they are to get China's attention. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-08-27 13:36 |
| #2 India operated a Russian built nuke sub before.. the Charlie class K43 'Chakra' leased for a few years. There are credible reports that at least one Indian scientist died from radiation exposure from the K43 |
| Posted by: john frum 2008-08-27 12:45 |
| #1 I would recommend that the Indians check the reactor room for radiation leaks. Most submarine sailors receive extra pay for being on submarine duty. In the Soviet Navy, it was known as "childlessness pay", since the radiation supposedly rendered many of them sterile. |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-08-27 12:37 |