The Indian Navy's Underwater Combat Arm: In Need of A Rescue

The Indian Navy's Underwater Combat Arm: In Need of A Rescue

The Indian Navy is not a stranger to controversies. The string of accidents in the earlier part of this year were a cause for concern. Now comes another challenge. The underwater combat arm of the Indian Navy is in danger of sinking if the government does not rise to the challenge. A proactive approach is needed in the current project to build 6 Scorpene submarines at Mazgaon Docks. Also on the anvil should be the fast-tracking of 5 aging submarines. The long-term plan for the nuclear submarines also needs to be given support at this juncture. Apart from these 3 projects, the Indian Navy could do with less delays in other global tenders.

The onus of resolving the financial aspects of these defense deals should be resolved by the Ministry soon. This is because the Indian Navy is now operating with just 9 operational diesel-electric submarines. 4 of these are currently being repaired or refit. Another demoralizing fact is that all 13 of them are over 20 years old. When it comes to marine equipment, old is not gold. 8 of our submarines are more than 25 years old. This is dismal compared to Pakistan which has 8 operational submarines. It is disheartening when we compare our lot with China which has 50 submarines.

Our armed forces already have to face the challenges of border skirmishes and continuous threats from terrorists and militants. If on top of this, they also have to face rotting machinery which does not work well, it is an injustice to them and to the nation. Experts in the media have also discussed the Project75India which has been pending for a long time now. The aim of this project was the acquisition of 6 stealth submarines possessing both land-attack missile capabilities and air-independent propulsion. Though this project was granted acceptance of necessity as early as 2007, it is 2014 and the foreign collaborator for the global tender has yet to be selected. As to why this project has been delayed for 7 long years remain a mystery that can only be resolved if the defence and finance ministries collaborate and share data.

It is critical that this tender be resolved as it takes a minimum of 3 years to select a foreign collaborator and 7 to 8 years before the first submarine can start operating. The ongoing Scropene project is also lagging behind for 4 years now. The Indian Navy also needs 3 SSBNs (nuclear-powered submarines) which have ballistic missiles that are nuclear tipped.

We currently have only one-nuclear powered submarine INS Chakra and it too does not have much power at that. This submarine acquired on a 10 year lease from Russia in 2012 does not have long range missiles. The indigenously produced INS Arihant is not operational as yet and it is still to undergo extensive sea trials. 2 remaining SSBNs are still under construction.

The focus should be on developing indigenous technology with foreign assistance so that India does not have to rely on defense doles to meet the needs of its armed forces. India has the right resources. It is only the management of these resources which need to be managed better. INS Arihant was constructed at the cost of $2.9 billion by the BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre) and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) in collaboration with Russian designers. This is much more preferable than leasing nuclear powered submarines for half the cost. At the end, the numbers work out better if we use indigenous technology. It's all about using the right equation.