The government of India
has approved $10 billion in funding to vastly expand and improve the Indian
Navy’s undersea warfare capabilities. Shipbuilders in France,
Germany, Russia
and Spain are
this week lining up bids on the new Indian Navy project which comes less than a
year after $18 billion was funded to equip the Indian Air Force with new Rafale
fighter aircraft.
The new project includes next generation
diesel-electric attack submarines to augment the current fleet which consists
of 10 Kilo Class of Russian design; four modified German Type 209 Class and two
nuclear powered Akula Class attack submarines leased from Russia.
An additional six Scorpene Class diesel-electric submarines of French &
Spanish joint design are being built at India’s
Mazagon Dock Ltd. shipyards.
Though the total number of new submarines has not
been decided, the newer subs will be larger than the six Scorpenes currently
building and would include both land attack missile capability and
air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems; developed by Swedish naval engineers
allowing a diesel-electric submarine to run their ‘air breathing’ engines at
low power in conjunction with batteries while submerged for three or more weeks
almost as stealthily as a nuclear submarine.
Defense analyst and international security
experts alike often ponder confusedly as to why India feels the need for a
powerful ‘blue water’ navy in a region with no serious naval power present
aside from the United States with whom India has had more or less friendly
relations since the end of British rule in 1947; the answer of course being
China.
India
and China have
had tensions off and on since Communist China’s victory over the Nationalist
Chinese in 1949. The two nations finally came to blows in a brief border war in
1962. China is
a long time supporter of India’s
arch nemesis Pakistan.
Until recently however, there was no serious naval threat posed to India
by China’s
minor coastal naval force; separated by the whole of Southeast Asia
from the Indian Ocean.
However in tandem with Chinese naval expansion
was an expansion of inroads in the Indian Ocean region
with purchases of local sea port facilities and airports or investment in joint
ventures to expand such facilities or build new ones in partnerships with Burma,
Thailand, Seychelles
and Pakistan.
Projects particularly troublesome to India
since all Chinese companies are owned in some fashion by the Chinese government
despite the widely held belief in Chinese ‘privatization’.
The sea ports and air ports would provide China
bases from which to operate naval aircraft and vessels against Indian seaborne
commerce and naval forces on a much shorter logistical leash than if they
tethered to bases in China.
Of particular concern is China’s
fleet of 50 diesel electric submarines which could easily operate out of
friendly ports in the Indian Ocean.
India
clearly recognizing the problem is now embarking on the best solution $10
Billion can buy. India
is also expanding its surface battle fleet with purchases of the former Soviet
aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (renamed Vikramaditya) and the Russian
designed Talwar Class stealth frigates for air defense and anti-submarine
warfare. India
has also begun domestic construction of two 65,000 ton aircraft carriers. There
have however been delays and disputes with the Russians over quality and
workmanship on the frigates and the rebuilt Gorshkov.
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