cool.... but getting merlins then looking into it for ssn developement you sre talking about a neat 2 decade thing or more.
as merlins wont come before 2012 i believe.
then a look into it another 5 years then developement. chinese SSN's pls no dont go for those.its better to make.
again we are no quicker on it but with russias help we'll do it in 5 to 7 years effectvely atleast the first few versions.
still u know if u develope a ssn and we do indigenously it dont worth the effort as the first ones wont be tht good .. atleast after 3-4 it'll show some quality.
that is why developing a ssn from scratch ur talking bout a r&d of 30 years to see the best coming out of the R&D, and that is why i want india to go to joint venture with russia for SSN.
then there is training and lot of stuffs its like having a carrier.
if u start now from scratch having a effective carrier force and operating it efefctively will take more than 2 decades, by then it'll be obsolete.
in 30 years we might as well see unmanned water vehicles
we have started our project atleast a decade back previously it was said to resemble the victor 3 class but with changing time things have changed. and the most important part miniature reactor and we have pretty good in it.now i seriously want russia to join in and finish it within modest 5 to 7 years for the first prototype.
then fix the issues and roll the second and third subsequently within next 5 years.
you know what? developing ssn is most disgusthing of all... though we have home made very good sonars and stuffs but we need a good design....
engine matters in a/c
design matters in ssn with reactor.slbm too but SLBM wont be tht hard.