More Developments On The Naval Front

[Dillinger]

Are you sure about that? Are you saying that an Indian designed and built SSN can enter service in a decade? That sounds very dubious to me. The arihant was launched in 2008, and has been undergoing sea trials for the past five years. Can an SSN be designed, built, launched, tested and ready to serve in a decade? Pardon me if I sound skeptical.

Obviously it can. It depends on the MOD. The Arihant is the first of its class, no amount of training on leased vessels can expedite the certifications and trials required to operationalize your first own nuke boat. The scaling up of the PWR is not a technical challenge as much as one of timely sanction and keeping to the time frame- which the DAE can do. Given L&T's involvement and infra which can accommodate said project and the company having gained the experience on the Arihant it is not an issue. Our problem has always been confined to a lack of in-country vendor chain for sub-components- the same thing that has delayed the scorpenes. First time vendors who have not been nurtured end up requiring time to conform to the required QR/QCs.

I wasn't saying that is going to happen, it was merely wishful thinking on my part. But on that point, why wouldn't they be for sale, if we can pay? Why can't they build two more Akulas for us, while we wait for the Indian SSNs? (Barring the possibility that the Indian SSNs are only a decade away as you claim.)

Also, in my post I said that we should keep building scorpenes, so I was saying the same thing that you are, that we need both SSKs and SSNs. I wasn't suggesting that IN should be an all nuclear force like the USN.

Because they aren't for sale. Nor can they be as "freely" used as the IN would want to.

 

[janon]

Obviously it can. It depends on the MOD. The Arihant is the first of its class, no amount of training on leased vessels can expedite the certifications and trials required to operationalize your first own nuke boat. The scaling up of the PWR is not a technical challenge as much as one of timely sanction and keeping to the time frame- which the DAE can do. Given L&T's involvement and infra which can accommodate said project and the company having gained the experience on the Arihant it is not an issue. Our problem has always been confined to a lack of in-country vendor chain for sub-components- the same thing that has delayed the scorpenes. First time vendors who have not been nurtured end up requiring time to conform to the required QR/QCs.



Because they aren't for sale. Nor can they be as "freely" used as the IN would want to.

The Indian SSN would also be the first of its class, wouldn't it? Structurally it can't be the same as an SSBN (arihant), right?

Also, multiple sources state that India has the option of buying them:

Vayu aerospace:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=18&cad=rja&ved=0CFkQFjAHOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vayuaerospace.in%2Fimages1%2FArrival_of_the_Nerpa_nuclear_submarine.pdf&ei=Bh9gUtD9HY-0rAfFsICgDg&usg=AFQjCNHyk-6e4y3ss8ALjuTaksm5L8MDGA&bvm=bv.54176721,d.bmk

India to get subs on lease from Russia

And some sources say that S-4 and S-5 might be two decades away, and only after those will we start the SSNs:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/is-the-navys-newest-sub-worth-the-price/article2829121.ece

 

[Dillinger]

The Indian SSN would also be the first of its class, wouldn't it? Structurally it can't be the same as an SSBN (arihant), right?

Also, multiple sources state that India has the option of buying them:

Vayu aerospace:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=18&cad=rja&ved=0CFkQFjAHOAo&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vayuaerospace.in%2Fimages1%2FArrival_of_the_Nerpa_nuclear_submarine.pdf&ei=Bh9gUtD9HY-0rAfFsICgDg&usg=AFQjCNHyk-6e4y3ss8ALjuTaksm5L8MDGA&bvm=bv.54176721,d.bmk

India to get subs on lease from Russia

And some sources say that S-4 and S-5 might be two decades away, and only after those will we start the SSNs:

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/is-the-navys-newest-sub-worth-the-price/article2829121.ece

Those sources assume that the buy option is open- it isn't- without strings that is and with a LOT of hurdles in the way. Obviously it will take time to run the SSN though the hoops- its either that on snooze with an akula and hope to god that certain things never need doing.