More Developments On The Naval Front

[kurup]

Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL) recently released a global tender for the design, integration, supply and commissioning of the CODAD main propulsion system for what is believed to be a missile-tracking vessel for the DRDO. The vessel will have an overall length of 175.77 metres, draft of 6.45 metres, moulded breadth of 22.7 metres, displacement of 14,700 tonnes, maximum cruise speed of 21 Knots, normal cruise speed of 14 Knots, endurance of 14,000 miles at 14 Knots, or 7,000 miles at 21 Knots, and a crew complement of 300.

This vessel, which has been designed by the Indian Navy’s Naval Design Bureau, will also host an on-board L-band volume-search radar and an X-band active phased-array precision-tracking radar. The vessel will complement the DRDO’s two projected missile test ranges that will come up in future at Rutland Island (part of the Andaman and Nicobar island-chain), and at Nagayalanka in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

In another development, it has emerged that private-sector shipyards like the Surat-based ABG Shipyard and the Bhavnagar-based Alcock Ashdown Shipyard Ltd are facing severe liquidity crunches, which in turn will only serve to delay the delivery of vessels already ordered and paid for by the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. While ABG has to deliver three training vessels to the Indian Navy, Alcock Ashdown Shipyard Ltd, which was awarded the order to build the six 500-tonne, catamaran-type naval survey vessels based on an Australian design, has so far delivered only one—INS Makar—while delivery schedules for the remaining five vessels are now uncertain.

Also uncertain is the timely availability of the DRDO-developed Varunastra heavyweight torpedo, which was originally due to arm vessels like the three Project 15A and four Project 15B DDGs plus the four Project 28 ASW corvettes and the S-2/S-3/S-4 SSBNs. It is believed that the principal reason for the Varunastra’s unavailability is its sub-optimal performance in the high seas. This is due to the DRDO’s failure thus far to establish its own deep-sea floating underwater weapons testing-cum-calibration range off Rutland Island—a deficiency that should have been overcome two decades ago! Non-availability of such a range has also hindered the DRDO’s ability to develop a network of SOSUS-type seabed-based low-frequency sonars.

Meanwhile, Cochin Shipyard Ltd (CSL) has delivered the first two of 20 fast patrol boats that it was contracted to supply in early 2011 for the Indian Coast Guard. Each such vessel comes equipped with a waterjet-based propulsion system, plus Northrop Grumman-supplied hardware for the bridge.

Lastly, it is appearing increasingly likely that the Indian Navy will defer the issuance of the RFP for six Project 75I AIP-equipped SSKs and will instead issue the RFP for four LPHs. If this happens, then the Indian Navy will most certainly increased its orders of MDL-built Scorpene SSKs from the present six to at least 10 (i.e. through a follow-on order placed with MDL), with the additional four Scorpenes being equipped with an AIP plug-in that is specified by the Navy. What this also means is that such a step will also result in a fair amount of financial savings, which in turn could well be utilised for the LPH procurement programme, and this will also buy the Indian Navy some more time for finalising its projected SSN procurement plans.

Scorpene hull fabrication in MDL

TRISHUL: More Developments On The Naval Front

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Some errors in the report: Alcock Ashdown is a PSU under the MoD, it is a Nationalised Co. just as MDL and GRSE were.
Another thing the SOSUS type systems have been developed and tested for some time already. PKS is off the mark here as he has been prone to on a number of occasions.

 

[nair]

on the back ground of those 2 fast patrol boats can see Vikrant there.... Its been long i went towards mattancheri.... did anyone see Vikrant recently?

 

[kurup]

on the back ground of those 2 fast patrol boats can see Vikrant there.... Its been long i went towards mattancheri.... did anyone see Vikrant recently?

The link has two more vikrant pics .

In the last image you can see the crane lowering a module on to the vikrant .

 

[kaykay]

Delaying 6 P-75Is for some times and instead ordering 4 more scorpenes would be really good for now considering it will take less time and cost. 10 scorpenes and 2-3 existing submarines along with 2 akulas can serve us well till P-75I come.

 

[Raje amar]

Some sencible thinking if the news about Scorpion comes true.
Its the most logical step to help build IN underwater fleet.

 

[janon]

Just keep producing AIP equipped scorpenes, and with the money saved, go for a few SSNs from Russia. That way our underwater arm will be quite potent. The projected cost of the P75I was as big as SSNs anyway.

However, I don't think any of this is true. Sounds more like PKS making up stuff than the reality. I will be glad to be proven wrong.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Just keep producing AIP equipped scorpenes, and with the money saved, go for a few SSNs from Russia. That way our underwater arm will be quite potent. The projected cost of the P75I was as big as SSNs anyway.

However, I don't think any of this is true. Sounds more like PKS making up stuff than the reality. I will be glad to be proven wrong.

I'd prefer to let the R&D work on the Arihant be further utilised to produce Indian designed and built SSNs which I think is the plan anyway.

But yeah, if the order could eventually see some 12-18 Scorpenes in IN service within the next decade then things will turn from pretty bleak to acceptable.

 

[kaykay]

I'd prefer to let the R&D work on the Arihant be further utilised to produce Indian designed and built SSNs which I think is the plan anyway.

But yeah, if the order could eventually see some 12-18 Scorpenes in IN service within the next decade then things will turn from pretty bleak to acceptable.

But isn't next subs be SSBNs too?? I think Our indigenous SSNs are around 15 years away from now.

 

[Abingdonboy]

But isn't next subs be SSBNs too?? I think Our indigenous SSNs are around 15 years away from now.

You're right that beyond the Arihant class the IN has plans for another class of SSBNs that will be quite a bit larger and more capable. However work on the SSNs should and is likely to run in parallel to these efforts.

 

[janon]

I'd prefer to let the R&D work on the Arihant be further utilised to produce Indian designed and built SSNs which I think is the plan anyway.

But yeah, if the order could eventually see some 12-18 Scorpenes in IN service within the next decade then things will turn from pretty bleak to acceptable.

The IN is smarter than the IAF, and will not do a Tejas with their submarines - I mean, they won't club together the requirement of beefing up strength and developing the indigenous industry with the same program like the IAF did with Tejas. At a time when our submarine strength is about to fall perilously low, we cannot afford to wait for Indian expertise to come up with an SSN. And Indian SSN is decades away, and our requirements are NOW. Russian SSNs are cheaper than western SSKs anyway, and severa times more capable.

Also, a navy that has blue water ambitions really needs to operate SSNs and SSBNs. The operational efficiency and capability over SSKs is tremendous.

 

[Dillinger]

Some errors in the report: Alcock Ashdown is a PSU under the MoD, it is a Nationalised Co. just as MDL and GRSE were.
Another thing the SOSUS type systems have been developed and tested for some time already. PKS is off the mark here as he has been prone to on a number of occasions.

Any information on the SOSUS? As far as I know NPOL's attempts proved to be less than satisfactory and no deployment has occurred thus far? It seems we are having issues with low frequency sonars, the IN is not too appreciative of what we have churned out.

He does make mistakes, no doubt about that. I came across the assertion that the Juan Carlos derivative could house 4 LCAC like crafts by utilizing the heavy cargo hangar or dispensing with it all together- neither is possible since the well dock and the hangar are separated by a steel beach and and there is a partition which dominates the fore end of the well dock-

 

[Dillinger]

The IN is smarter than the IAF, and will not do a Tejas with their submarines - I mean, they won't club together the requirement of beefing up strength and developing the indigenous industry with the same program like the IAF did with Tejas. At a time when our submarine strength is about to fall perilously low, we cannot afford to wait for Indian expertise to come up with an SSN. And Indian SSN is decades away, and our requirements are NOW. Russian SSNs are cheaper than western SSKs anyway, and severa times more capable.

Also, a navy that has blue water ambitions really needs to operate SSNs and SSBNs. The operational efficiency and capability over SSKs is tremendous.

Not correct. The SSN is not decades away, more like a SINGLE decade away. The hurdle that remains is the scaling up of the PWR to a 150MW-180MW range- the go ahead for which was already given to the DAE.

At the moment no more than perhaps one more SSN maybe leased (that too is unlikely despite the utterances of a certain indo-russian journal), let us be very clear and disperse the fiction of buying them- they are NOT for sale. The idea of having the sufficient mix of SSKs and SSNs has merit simply because India does face a sub-surface and surface platform threat in its littoral waters and ergo needs to retain white water sub-surface capabilities. The SSNs will come, in due time, the Akulas cannot cover that requirement adequately in terms of numbers and we cannot lease enough of them. So, barring any severe funding constraints or ad hoc idiocies the Indian SSN and follow-on SSBNs have a secure future.

 

[janon]

Not correct. The SSN is not decades away, more like a SINGLE decade away. The hurdle that remains is the scaling up of the PWR to a 150MW-180MW range- the go ahead for which was already given to the DAE.
...

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.

 

[janon]

...

At the moment no more than perhaps one more SSN maybe leased (that too is unlikely despite the utterances of a certain indo-russian journal), let us be very clear and disperse the fiction of buying them- they are NOT for sale. The idea of having the sufficient mix of SSKs and SSNs has merit simply because India does face a sub-surface and surface platform threat in its littoral waters and ergo needs to retain white water sub-surface capabilities. The SSNs will come, in due time, the Akulas cannot cover that requirement adequately in terms of numbers and we cannot lease enough of them. So, barring any severe funding constraints or ad hoc idiocies the Indian SSN and follow-on SSBNs have a secure future.

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.