Weapon woes put Navy’s modernisation programmes on hold

[Anony]

A fresh hunt for heavy torpedoes for its new line of warships and a setback in the delivery of new destroyers has the Indian navy reeling under pressure of delay in major modernisation programmes.

The process to acquire new torpedoes was set rolling recently after the first attempt to purchase the weapon got embroiled in controversies.

With Finmeccanica’s conduct in the VVIP helicopter deal for the Indian Air Force coming under scanner, questions have been raised over the company’s participation in other contracts though no punitive action has been taken against it by the government so far.

Acquisition

The acquisition of torpedoes was held back because the front runner, Black Shark torpedo, was being made by a Finmeccanica subsidiary called WASS.

Even though the ongoing $300 million project to procure 98 torpedoes has not been cancelled officially, the navy has issued Request for Information (RFI), re-launching the process to procure the weapons.

An evaluation committee had given an “all clear”, but despite that the project had not moved further.

The German rival Atlas Elektronik had also raised questions about Black Shark’s selection.

Sources said a fresh process of induction was initiated so that the torpedoes could be made available for all the warships and submarines in the pipeline – including Project 75(Scorpene), 15A (Kolkata class destroyers), 15B (follow on of Kolkata class

At the moment, navy warships are equipped with old Russian heavy torpedoes. The new torpedoes were also to be integrated with the French Scorpene submarines under construction.

Even as the torpedo issue was being sorted out, the navy was hit by the delay in project 15A for the construction of three Kolkata class destroyers.

The first ship of the class, being constructed at Muzgaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, was scheduled to be delivered in July.

But technical problems were detected during the sea trials of the destroyers – the largest warships to be constructed and designed at MDL.

It is estimated that the project has been delayed by at least six months as the new destroyer would now be made available only by early 2014.

Project 15A, under which three destroyers have to be built, is already running two years behind schedule.

The revised deadline for the delivery of first ship was mid-2013. The project was going on track keeping up with the revised deadline but the snag was detected during the sea trials of the ship.

 

[keerthan]

So INS Kolkata has already started sea trials.
So its full completed except for weapons suite

 

[Penguin]

While India is known to use HWT in all its Destroyers(Delhi, Rajput class ) as well as in its Kilo class Submarine, The Standard Wire Guided heavy weight used by the Russian and Indian Navy is the Russin Test-71 and Test-96. However, there is litttle that is old about the Russian USET-80 and UGST members of the Type 53 family of torpedoes .....UGST is the successor to the Test-71 and has a thermal engine running on a monopropellant ,similar to Mk 48 or Spearfish.

Weapon
http://www. bharat - rakshak .com/MONITOR/ISSUE3-4/joseph.html

 

[Penguin]

So INS Kolkata has already started sea trials.
So its full completed except for weapons suite

Kolkata may be launched and put into sea trials by late 2013 or early 2014, for commissioning into service in 2015. Each of the other vessels would follow at one year intervals such that all three are commissioned and in service by 2017.

AEGIS VESSLES OF THE WORLD - KOLKATA CLASS PAGE

 

[satishkumarcsc]

Ok the Journo is having wet dreams and most of it is his imagination. Kolkata class have not left their dock even once. The fitment of the Barak Launcher system has not been done yet. SO there will be a serious shift in the CG of the ship.

 

[Nishan_101]

A fresh hunt for heavy torpedoes for its new line of warships and a setback in the delivery of new destroyers has the Indian navy reeling under pressure of delay in major modernisation programmes.

The process to acquire new torpedoes was set rolling recently after the first attempt to purchase the weapon got embroiled in controversies.

With Finmeccanica’s conduct in the VVIP helicopter deal for the Indian Air Force coming under scanner, questions have been raised over the company’s participation in other contracts though no punitive action has been taken against it by the government so far.

Acquisition

The acquisition of torpedoes was held back because the front runner, Black Shark torpedo, was being made by a Finmeccanica subsidiary called WASS.

Even though the ongoing $300 million project to procure 98 torpedoes has not been cancelled officially, the navy has issued Request for Information (RFI), re-launching the process to procure the weapons.

An evaluation committee had given an “all clear”, but despite that the project had not moved further.

The German rival Atlas Elektronik had also raised questions about Black Shark’s selection.

Sources said a fresh process of induction was initiated so that the torpedoes could be made available for all the warships and submarines in the pipeline – including Project 75(Scorpene), 15A (Kolkata class destroyers), 15B (follow on of Kolkata class

At the moment, navy warships are equipped with old Russian heavy torpedoes. The new torpedoes were also to be integrated with the French Scorpene submarines under construction.

Even as the torpedo issue was being sorted out, the navy was hit by the delay in project 15A for the construction of three Kolkata class destroyers.

The first ship of the class, being constructed at Muzgaon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai, was scheduled to be delivered in July.

But technical problems were detected during the sea trials of the destroyers – the largest warships to be constructed and designed at MDL.

It is estimated that the project has been delayed by at least six months as the new destroyer would now be made available only by early 2014.

Project 15A, under which three destroyers have to be built, is already running two years behind schedule.

The revised deadline for the delivery of first ship was mid-2013. The project was going on track keeping up with the revised deadline but the snag was detected during the sea trials of the ship.

So does IN looking to buy more LPDs from USA and LHDs from EU.