India To Get Over 60 Warships
NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is strengthening its ties with key maritime nations in the Indian Ocean region and has long-term plans to get over 60 warships in keeping with its emergence as a major power in South Asia.
Admiral Arun Prakash, the Indian Navy chief, on Friday said the role played by his force in mounting relief operations after tsunami had led to greater respect for the nation and a desire among other naval powers to forge closer ties with New Delhi.
"We made a deep impression, much more than we realised, on external observers," Prakash told reporters here ahead of Navy Day Sunday, referring to the relief operations carried out by the Indian Navy in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The swiftness with which it had mobilised 32 warships, 30 aircraft and over 5,000 personnel for the operations had established the navy as a "powerful instrument of state policy", he remarked.
After having conducted joint exercises during this year with the navies of US, Russia and France, the Indian Navy had signed pacts with Thailand and Indonesia to carry out coordinated patrols in regional waters.
"We also have good ties with the navies of Singapore and Vietnam and are in the process of establishing closer ties with Myanmar and Malaysia," Prakash said.
The navy chief also disclosed that his force had ordered 27 warships ranging from patrol boats to frigates and had "in-principle" clearance from the government for 36 more vessels.
"There is probably no other navy with a shipbuilding programme of such magnitude," he said. These vessels, however, would be just adequate to maintain the navy's current force level of about 130 ships.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1316515.cms
NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy is strengthening its ties with key maritime nations in the Indian Ocean region and has long-term plans to get over 60 warships in keeping with its emergence as a major power in South Asia.
Admiral Arun Prakash, the Indian Navy chief, on Friday said the role played by his force in mounting relief operations after tsunami had led to greater respect for the nation and a desire among other naval powers to forge closer ties with New Delhi.
"We made a deep impression, much more than we realised, on external observers," Prakash told reporters here ahead of Navy Day Sunday, referring to the relief operations carried out by the Indian Navy in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The swiftness with which it had mobilised 32 warships, 30 aircraft and over 5,000 personnel for the operations had established the navy as a "powerful instrument of state policy", he remarked.
After having conducted joint exercises during this year with the navies of US, Russia and France, the Indian Navy had signed pacts with Thailand and Indonesia to carry out coordinated patrols in regional waters.
"We also have good ties with the navies of Singapore and Vietnam and are in the process of establishing closer ties with Myanmar and Malaysia," Prakash said.
The navy chief also disclosed that his force had ordered 27 warships ranging from patrol boats to frigates and had "in-principle" clearance from the government for 36 more vessels.
"There is probably no other navy with a shipbuilding programme of such magnitude," he said. These vessels, however, would be just adequate to maintain the navy's current force level of about 130 ships.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1316515.cms