A wide range of niche technologies are being inducted to enhance long range precision attack capabilities. Loitering munitions in land and sea-based versions are being inducted to enhance the targeting capabilities. Additionally, containerised missile systems are being inducted to enhance the operational capability and to augment flexibility in operations.

The Navy has transformed from a ‘Buyers Navy’ into a ‘Builders Navy’, with aircraft carrier, destroyers, stealth frigates, corvettes, submarines and other war vessels being constructed in our country. Today, of the 66 ships under construction 64 are being built in India. Further, approvals have been given for 24 ships and submarines that are all planned to be constructed in Indian Shipyards. At present, IN has achieved approximately 90% indigenisation in the float segment, 60% in the move segment, and 50% in the fight segment. Indian Navy is committed to becoming a fully Aatmanirbhar Navy by 2047.

A number of ships and submarines have been commissioned in 2023.

INS Vagir, fifth Submarine of Kalvari class, was commissioned on January 23, 2023.

INS Tarmugli returned by the Govt of Maldives was re-commissioned after refit on December 14, 2023.

INS Imphal, the third stealth ship of Project-15B was commissioned on 26 December 2023.

Sandhayak (Yard 3025), the first of the four Survey Vessel (Large) ships was delivered to Indian Navy by GRSE on December 4, 2023.

The third GRSE ship of Project P17A Frigates, Vindhyagiri (Yard 3024), was launched on Aug 17, 2023 at GRSE.

The fourth ship of Survey Vessel Large, i.e. Sanshodhak (Yard 3028) was launched on June 13, 2023 at L&T Shipyard.

Two ASW Shallow Water Craft (ASW SWC) namely Androth (Yard 3035) and Anjadip (Yard 3030) were launched on March 21 and June 13, 2023 respectively at GRSE.

Three more ASW SWC namely Mahe (Yard 523), Malvan (Yard 524) and Magrol (Yard 525) were concurrently launched on November 30, 2023 at CSL, Kochi.

The last of the seven P17A ships, i.e. Mahendragiri (Yard 12654) was launched on September 1, 2023 at MDL, Mumbai.

1st Diving Support Craft A-20 (Yard-325) was launched on August 31, 2023 at Titagarh Rail Systems Ltd, Kolkata.

INS Vikrant completed Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) on May 31, 2023. With the IOC, the ship has proven the Aviation Facilities Complex, achieved day and night landing of MiG-29K, completed landing trials of all helicopters in the Naval inventory.

Atmanirbharta in Defence is having a profound affect on the operational efficiency of the Indian Navy. During 2023 alone, a number of approvals were given by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC). These included:

Medium-Range Anti-Ship Missiles for surface platforms in November 2023.

Next Generation Survey Vessels and avionic upgradation of Dornier aircraft in September 2023.

26 Rafale-Marine aircraft along with associated ancillary equipment, weapons, simulator, spares, documentation, crew training and logistic support in July 2023.

15 MQ-9B Sea Guardian High Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAs) in June 2023.

Ship-launched BrahMos missiles and Utility Helicopters-Maritime in March 2023

Brahmos Launcher and Fire Control System for the Shivalik class of ships and Next Generation Missile Vessels in January 2023.

The Ministry of Defence signed contracts with a number of companies to strengthen the capabilities of the Indian Navy. Among them were:

13 Lynx-U2 Fire Control Systems from Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL).

Three Cadet Training Ships from Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T).

11 Next Generation Offshore Patrol Vessels and six Next Generation Missile Vessels from different Indian shipyards.

Five Fleet Support Ships (FSS) from Hindustan Shipyard Limited.

16 Upgraded Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) anti-missile/anti-aircraft point defence weapon system from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited.

Medium Refit with Life Certification of Sub-Surface Killer Class of Submarine ‘INS Shankush’ with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders.

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Additionally, the Defense Acquisition Council, the top-most decision-making body for acquiring military equipment for the Indian armed forces on July 13th, cleared proposals worth an estimated 80,000 crore which is almost 9 billion euros, to acquire 3 additional Scorpene submarines and 26 Rafale Marine Fighter Jets for the Navy.

ALSO READ: Sixth Scorpene Launched; Fast Boats Contracted

An MOU was signed between Mazgon Dockyard Ltd and the Naval group for building 3 additional submarines under the P-75 Program. They would be built in Mazagon Dockyards Ltd, in Mumbai.

The announcement was made after the Indian PM’s talks with French President Macron in Paris concluded.

The Scorpene Subs have stealth features, long-range guided torpedoes, and anti-ship missiles. They have a SONAR suite and a sensor suite offering them excellent operational capabilities.

This comes after the Indian PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron adopted the ‘Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards A Century of India-France Relations.’

They welcomed the collaboration between the naval companies of both nations.

A Joint Statement read that India and France are ready to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian submarine fleet and its performance.

India is also setting up a Technical Office of the DRDO at its Paris Embassy to adopt a roadmap for Defense Industrial Cooperation between the two nations.

Speaking about the French commitment to the ‘Make-In-India’ Initiative, PM Modi and President Macron also applauded the defence industrial partnerships, including the agreement between Safran Helicopter Engine and HAL for the transfer of Technology of Forging and Castings for building the Shakti Engine.

Another example of India-France’s outstanding cooperation in military aviation stretching over 5 decades is the timely delivery of 36 Rafale jets ordered by India.

Both nations decided to extend this mutual partnership in developing advanced aeronautical technologies by agreeing on the joint development of a combat aircraft engine.

French company Safran and India’s Defense Research and Development Organisation, DRDO, will make a roadmap for this project before 2023 end.

They will also uphold industrial cooperation for motorising heavy-lift helicopters under the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter, IMRH Programme with Safran Helicopter Engine.

Another MOU was signed between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd and Naval Group France, a prominent name in the European Naval Defense Industry, to collaborate in the field of surface ships that would meet India’s requirements and those of International Naval forces.

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The fifth submarine of Project 75, Yard 11879, Indian Navy’s Kalvari class commenced her sea trials on 1 February 22. The submarine was launched in Nov 2020 from the KanhojiAngre Wet Basin of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). The submarine would be named Vagir, after commissioning.

The submarine will now undergo intense trials of all its systems at sea, including propulsion systems, weapons and sensors. The submarine is scheduled for delivery to the Indian Navy in the year 2022 after completion of these trials

The Indian Navy has two ongoing conventional submarine programs, with a third one on the way.

In Phase I, six submarines of Scorpene-class (P-75) are to be constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited, Mumbai. Two submarines of the project namely INS Kalvari and Khanderi have been commissioned in December 2017 and September 2019 respectively. The remainder submarines are likely to be inducted every nine months. The last submarine is likely to be delivered in June 2022.

Six submarines are to be constructed under P-75(I) under the Strategic Partnership (SP) model promulgated by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 31 May 2017. Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the case was accorded by DAC on 27 February 2019. A multidisciplinary Empowered Project Committee (EPC) was constituted by MoD on 15 February 2019 to steer the project from ‘EoI issuance’ to ‘Contract Conclusion’. The Request for Expression of Interest (REoI) for shortlisting of SPs and Foreign, Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEMs) was issued on 20 June 2019 and 2 July 2019 respectively. The response of SPs have been received on 11 September 2019. The response of Foreign OEMs have been received on 24 September 2019. The Request for Proposal (RFP) for the case would be issued in mid-2020. The induction of the submarines would be between 2027-2032.

In Phase II, twelve submarines of an indigenous design are envisaged to be constructed in India in this phase with the experience gained and technology absorbed from the construction of submarines under Phase I.

About Scorpène Submarines

Scorpène is a conventional submarine designed by the Naval Group for the export market. It demonstrates both the Naval Group’s ability to deliver best-in-class submarines and to conduct successful transfers of technology. Today 14 Scorpène submarines are in operational service or being built, for the Chilean Navy (2 units), the Malaysian Navy (2 units), the Indian Navy (6 units), and the Brazilian Navy (4 units).

The Scorpène design is adapted to fit each navy’s specific requirements. Thus, the Brazilian Scorpène is slightly longer to carry a larger crew, almost double the patrol range, and be able to cover greater distances.

Scorpène is ideally suited for action and operational effectiveness. Robust and enduring, it’s an ocean-going submarine also designed for shallow waters operations. Multipurpose, it fulfills the entire scope of missions such as anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, special operations, offensive minelaying and intelligence gathering. Integrating improvements from the French Barracuda-Class fast-attack submarine, Scorpène has cutting-edge capabilities.

P75 Kalvari-class key data

Length: 67,56 m +10 m with the future AIP Plug

Autonomy:  Up to 52 days

Displacement:  

Surface: 1615 tons

Submerged: 1775 tons

Crew: Up to 44 men

Weapons:

-6 x 533mm tubes

-Up to 18 heavyweight weapons.

-SM-39 Exocet antiship missile (MBDA)

-SUT 266 Legacy heavyweight torpedo (Atlas Elektronik)

-Mines

Hunt For Submarine Rescue Simulators

The MoD has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for submarine rescue simulators in January 2022. It is acquiring two sets of simulators that would train Navy personnel to operate submarine rescue vessel (SRV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems.

A simulator is a program or equipment that creates a virtual replica of a real-life environment, such as a flight simulator, for the purpose of training or experimentation. The SRV one should be able to simulate the actual vehicle’s rolling and pitching motions, as well as have the same “look, feel, functions, man-machine interface, and response time” as the Indian Navy’s Deep-Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).

A DSRV is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for submarine rescue operations and covert missions. India is one of the select countries that possess this capability. It has two DSRVs that it procured from James Fishers & Sons, a UK-based company.

The Indian Navy inducted its first DSRV in 2018 and the second one in 2019. Further, in 2020, a DSRV Complex was inaugurated at Vishakhapatnam to ensure the operational readiness of the vehicles with all equipment intact and ready to use.

With a growing fleet of submarines in the Indian Navy and its plans for expanding its fleet to deal with the challenges in the near seas, India’s Ministry of Defense has earnestly pursued the DSRV project.

In the Goa Maritime Conclave attended by Indian Navy commanders and delegations from Indian Ocean countries last year, the service displayed its submarine rescue capability. Only a few countries in the IOR possess this capability.

The Indian Navy is equipped with two full third-generation fly-away submarine rescue systems. It received Deep Search and Rescue Vehicles (DSRV), Launch and Recovery Systems (LARS) equipment, Transfer under Pressure (TUP) systems, and all logistics and support equipment by the manufacturer. A 25-year all-inclusive maintenance support service was also included in the contract, according to JFD.

The equipment can reach a maximum depth of 650 meters and rescue 14 people in a single operation. Because submarine mishaps can happen anywhere, the DSRVs are built to be agile and easily transportable to remote locations

The entire system has been separated into 24 components, each with the footprint of a typical container and capable of being moved by road, sea, or air.

Heavy transport planes such as the IL-76 and C-17 could transport the DSRV, which is linked to the mother ship INS Sabarmati.

The Navy also looks forward to participating in international submarine rescue exercises to sharpen their skills and deepen ties with neighbors and partners.

In April 2021, India had dispatched two DSRVs to locate the missing Indonesian submarine KRI Nanggala, but they were pulled back mid-way after the Indonesian Navy reported that it had identified the missing sub’s debris.

During trials in 2018, the DSRV submerged to a depth of 666 meters, breaking the record for the deepest submergence by a manned vessel in the Indian seas.

The DSRV crew has also performed Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) operations at greater than 750 meters and Side Scan Sonar operations at greater than 650 meters.

While the simulators have massive benefits, they do not aim to replace the training conducted on actual platforms. They merely familiarize the personnel with the platform that they will be required to operate. It is a time and cost-effective training instrument that is employed by militaries around the world.

In September 2021, the Defense Ministry issued a policy for increased use of simulators by armed forces to provide safe and cost-effective realistic training while preserving expensive equipment.

The policy aims to reduce live equipment utilization, ensure capability plans account for phased induction of simulators, factor in simulator requirements when planning procurements, and establish a coordination mechanism among various agencies for a combined purchase of simulators, according to a statement from the ministry.

As the focus of warfare and power assertion shifts to the sea, the Indian Navy seems to be strengthening its contingency efforts as well as enhancing its prospects of becoming the net security provider in the IOR in a true sense.

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