Countering China’s Submarine Strength
STORIES, ANALYSES, EXPERT VIEWS
Krishn Krishn (journalist with The Indian Express) writes about the manner on which India is countering China’s submarine build up.
“Currently, India has 15 conventional diesel-electric submarines, classified as SSKs, and one nuclear ballistic submarine, classified as SSBN…….”
Delays in modernisation: There have been delays though. “The 30-year plan (2000-30) for indigenous submarine construction, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security in 1999, envisaged two production lines of six submarines each, built in India in partnership with a foreign Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). The projects were called P-75 and P-75I.
“The 30-year plan anticipated that India would get the 12 new submarines by 2012-15. Subsequently, India would make 12 of its own by 2030, taking the fleet size to 24, with the older submarines getting decommissioned……..
“But the contract for P-75 was signed only by 2005, with France’s DCNS, now the Naval Group….”
Of the six being built, Kaushik writes “P-75 has delivered three Kalvari Class Scorpene submarines so far. P-75I is yet to take off; the first Request for Information was issued in 2008, then again in 2010, and the Request for Proposal was finally issued in July this year.
“The project will be India’s first under the Strategic Partnership Model, which came up in 2015. The government will give the contract to an Indian Strategic Partner, which will then partner with a foreign OEM.”
Worries for India: According to Commodore (retired) Anil Jai Singh India needs more submarines to counter the Chinese who “are going to be positioning a lot more ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean in the coming years.”
He said China is giving Pakistan eight submarines and four destroyers, which can be used as proxy by China. “We need to handle that very soon, and move on P75I as fast as we can.”
According to a 2020 report by the Pentagon, Chinese Navy will “likely maintain between 65 and 70 submarines through the 2020s, replacing older units with more capable units on a near one-to-one basis”. China has constructed 12 nuclear submarines in the last 15 years. It is expected to have up to eight SSBNs by 2030, the report said.
SSNs have infinite capacity to stay dived. As they are not propelled by batteries, they need not emerge for charging by a diesel engine. Propelled by a nuclear-powered engine, these submarines only need to come to the surface for replenishing supplies for the crew.
SSNs, propelled by a nuclear-powered engine, are better than conventional submarines. India, writes Kaushik “is among six nations that have SSNs (who have infinite capacity to stay dived) alongside the US, the UK, Russia, France and China. India got its first SSN in 1987 from the Soviet Navy. It has also “developed its own SSBNs, INS Arihant and INS Arighat….”
