hey guys check out this article ,about the problems facing the new naval chief.pay attention to page 2 which clearly mentions that 33 warships are currently under construction and another 30 may be built.
here check out this link:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1948998.cms
NEW DELHI: When vice-admiral Sureesh Mehta takes over as the new Navy chief on November 1, his topmost priority would be to "consolidate" his force's rapidly-transforming role from being just "a silent service" to a potent maritime power acting as "a stabilising force" in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Though reported much earlier by TOI, the government on Friday formally announced that Mehta, at present chief of the Visakhapatnam-based Eastern Naval Command, would take over from admiral Arun Prakash when he retires on October 31.
Mehta would take over at a time when the Navy, though much smaller than Army and IAF, has emerged as the most "visible" symbol of India's growing military might in recent years. The role played by it as a diplomatic instrument to further the country's geostrategic objectives came through when it escorted American ships through Malacca Straits in 2002, rapidly deployed warships to help neighbouring countries during the killer tsunami in 2004, or even evacuated Indian nationals from war-torn Lebanon recently.
Though the foundation for this was laid by admirals Madhvendra Singh and Arun Prakash, Mehta will have to make it a major thrust area. Mehta, who will serve till August 2009, will of course have to ensure force-levels do not fall below the present 130 warships and 16 submarines.
Experts say India's resurgence as an economic power depends to a large extent on peace being maintained in IOR. "Apart from optimum utilisation of available warships and networking of weapon and sensor capabilities, he will have to convince the government for long-term committed budgetary support," said one.
While the Rs 18,798-crore project to build six Scorpene submarines at Mazagon Docks between 2012 and 2017 has now kicked off, Navy also has as many as 33 warships "under production or order" from indigenous or foreign shipyards. These include three more Talwar-class "stealth" frigates, the indigenous air defence ship and the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier.
Not only will Mehta have to ensure all these projects progress smoothly, he will also have to get the government's firm support for another 30 warships after these 33. This is necessary since over 70 existing warships will have to be gradually replaced in the coming 10-15 years.
Another thrust area would have to be the induction of nuclear submarines and submarine-launched ballistic missile capability, which are needed for effective and secure "second-strike capabilities".
As someone from the naval aviation wing, Mehta should also take a hard look at Navy's rather thin fleet of Long-Range Maritime Patrol (LRMP) aircraft despite India having a 7,516-km coastline, 1,197 islands and a 2.01 million sq km exclusive economic zone. At present, Navy has only three IL-38s, recently upgraded with the multi-functional "Sea Dragon mission suite", and eight aging Tupolev-142Ms, apart from a small fleet of Dorniers and Israeli UAVs for medium-level snooping missions.
Though the acquisition process for eight LRMP aircraft has been now initiated, the process needs to be fast-tracked so that deliveries can commence before this decade ends. Pakistan, of course, is on course to induct P-3C Orions from the US.
. here is the link