India's Russian-built submarine the INS
Sindhurakshak arrived at its home port Mumbai after an overhaul
including structural hull upgrades at the Zvezdochka shipyard.
The Sindhurakshak -- a Russian Type 877EKM submarine, Sindhughosh
class for the Indian navy -- was constructed in Admiralteiskie Verfi
shipyard in St. Petersburg in 1997.
It's one of 10 Kilo class submarines constructed in Russia's
shipyards for the Indian navy from 1985-2000, a report by TV-Novosti
said in January.
Zvezdochka shipyard, in Severodvinsk, near Archangel on Russia's
western Arctic Ocean coast, signed the retrofit deal in June 2010 and
the submarine arrived the following August.
The overhaul and retrofit for the 2,300-ton vessel reportedly cost around $80 million, TV-Novosti said.
Work included overhaul of hull structures, installation of upgraded
electronic warfare and weapons control systems, the mounting of
Indian-made sonar USHUS and installation of CCS-MK radio communication
systems.
The submarine was handed over to the Indian navy in Severodvinsk Jan.
26 -- India's Republic Day -- and immediately left for Mumbai, a report
by Russia and Indian Report said.
The Sindhurakshak is armed with the latest export variant of the
Russian-made submarine-specific Club-S multi-role cruise missile system
capable of hitting targets more than 150 miles away, the RIR report
said.
The Club-S, which has an 880-pound warhead, has improved
effectiveness because of its active radar seeker system, the Args 14e
designed by Radar MMS of St. Petersburg, a technical report by Defense
Update said in 2006.
The Args system radar system kicks in around 12 miles from the missile's target to improve accuracy.
A Club-S can be launched from standard torpedo tubes at a depth of up
to 130 feet, Defense Update said. It cruises towards the target
initially at 70 feet above seal level and drops down to around 25 feet
on final approach.
The Kilo class vessels can travel at around a maximum 20 mph at a depth of around 900 feet.
Zvezdochka also has modernized India's Kilo class submarines
Sinduvir, Sindhuratna, Sindugosh and Sinduvijay submarines since 1997.
The shipyard expects to receive its next retrofit contract from India
in 2014 or 2015, RIR said. It also will repair and upgrade the
Sindukirti Kilo class submarine at the vessel's base in Visakhapatnam in
the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Meanwhile, India's Scorpene submarine project could face an 18-month
delivery delay after the pullout of consultants from Spanish
shipbuilding partner Navantia.
Mazagon Dock Ltd., the government shipbuilder in Mumbai where the
vessels are being made, informed the navy that the project would be
delayed by another 18 months to the end of 2016, a report by India's
Times News Network said last month.
Delivery was expected sometime in 2015.
The Scorpene is a diesel-electric attack submarine with additional
air-independent propulsion jointly developed by the French shipbuilder
DCN -- now DCNS -- and Spain's Navantia.
The submarines were ordered in 2005 under a technology transfer agreement.
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