CAG lays bare breaches in Indian Navy’s anti-sub corvettes

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Paying the price: It was observed during audit that INS Kamorta (pic of its sea trial) and INS Kadmatt haven’t been fitted with a particular weapon and sensor systems and can’t perform to their full potential.

KOLKATA: Indian Navy's antisubmarine warfare (ASW) corvettes INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt may be touted as extremely lethal but if the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is to be believed, both are little more than overweight, lumbering, underequipped and untried platforms due to the Navy's delay in finalizing designs. INS Kamorta was commissioned in 2014 and INS Kadmatt a couple of years later.

According to one of the CAG's latest reports, the Directorate of Naval Design(DND) hadn't finalized the design for the ASW corvettes when issuing the Letter of Intent to Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Ltd in Kolkata. DND finalized the design in 2006 but continued to modify it till 2008.


In 2003, it had been decided that the corvettes would have a displacement of 2,500 tonnes and achieve maximum speeds of 25 knots and cruising speeds of 18 knots. When the contract was signed in June, 2012, the displacement was increased to 3,170 tonnes. During audit, it was revealed that INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt have displacements of 3,384 tonnes and 3,499 tonnes respectively and their maximum speeds are 23.9 knots and 22.8 knots.




"The drop in the achievement of the specified speed was mainly due to the increase in their weights by over 800 tonnes," the report states. The increase in weight of the corvettes was due to the adoption of various signature reduction measures or stealth capabilities.




In a last ditch effort to maintain proper weight, the DND suggested in May 2009 that GRSE use composite superstructures instead of steel ones in the last three of four corvettes of the Kamortaclass being built by GRSE. This would bring down their weights by 70-80 tonnes each. However, due to the lead time required in procuring composite material from foreign vendors, GRSE is using them only in the last two ships that are yet to be delivered.




It was also observed during audit that the INS Kamorta and INS Kadmatt haven't been fitted with a particular weapon and sensor systems and can't perform to their full potential. Till December, 2016, the Harbour Acceptance Trials of the INS Kadmatt were still pending. Sea Acceptance Test is also conducted to test a vessel's speed, maneuverability, equipment and safety features. "It was observed that SAT on six weapons and sensors on the INS Kamorta and all weapons and sensors on INS Kadmatt are pending satisfactory completion. Thus, the effectiveness of the main features of anti-sub warfare are yet to be proved," the report states.


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