Wednesday 10 April 2013

Indian Navy submarine force to be weakest by 2015



      The Indian Navy's submarine force levels will be lowest in the history by 2015 as per a confidential defence ministry report.
    While China is scaling up its underwater capabilities by introduction of more submarines, the Indian Navy is speculated to have merely six or seven submarines in 2015 including the indigenous nuclear powered, nuclear armed ballistic missile submarine, INS Arihant as it will start phasing out the the Russian Kilo class and German HDW Type 209 class submarines.
   The Indian Navy currently operates 14 submarines in the above submarine classes and also a single nuclear powered attack submarine leased from Russia, INS Chakra while China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operates close to 45 submarines including nuclear powered attack and ballistic missile submarines. It also has plans to construct 14 Yuan class diesel electric submarines probably with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP).
     On the other hand, the six French Scorpene submarines (Project 75) currently under construction in Marzagon Dock limited at a cost of 23,562 crores will not be launched until 2016-17.

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