Indian Navy (IN) News and Discussion

[aaaditya]

hey guys,check out this interesting article,it contains some interesting information regarding the status of the atv class of nuclear powered submarines.

here is the link and the article:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/N-submarine_may_be_operational_by_2012/articleshow/1776200.cms

NEW DELHI: After a series of technical hiccups, India's long-running project to build nuclear submarines is finally gaining momentum. As per the revised target, the Navy is likely to get the first such operational submarine by 2012.

Sources said this was the "general assessment" at a top-level meeting to review progress of the hush-hush Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) programme on Friday, which was attended by defence minister A K Antony, among others.

Though official word is hard to come by on the secretive ATV project, which formally kicked off in 1983 but has made excruciatingly slow progress since then, it's learnt that the first prototype of the nuclear-powered guided-missile attack submarine would be "launched" in the "near future".

"And if there are no more hitches, the first of the two ATVs should be ready for being commissioned into Navy by 2011-2012. The overall project cost has been hiked by 30% to take it to around Rs 14,000 crore, with ultimately five ATVs planned by around 2025," said a source.

The work on the ATV project revolves around the Vishakhapatnam naval dockyard, where the basic submarine hull and structure are fabricated, and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, where PWRs (pressurised water reactors) for the submarine's propulsion system are tested.

One of the main reasons for the long delay has been the technical problem of designing and fitting a miniaturised PWR and its containment vessel in the submarine's hull. After the PWRs designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre failed to pass muster, India had turned to Russia for two 90-megawatt PWRs and related parts. There are also some Israeli, French and German imprints in the project.

"There were some problems with the integration of the Russian PWRs also. Work is now going ahead with a mixed design for the propulsion system," said the source.

The entire aim behind the ATV programme is to have nuclear-powered submarines, armed with nuclear-tipped cruise or ballistic missiles, to ensure "credible" second-strike capabilities in consonance with India's "no-first use" nuclear doctrine.

Nuclear-powered submarines have higher speeds and can stay submerged much longer than conventional diesel-electric submarines - which have to surface or snorkel frequently to get oxygen to recharge batteries - and thereby provide a much more invulnerable launch pad for nuclear weapons.

Though India already has nuclear-capable aircraft and mobile land-based missiles like Agni-I and Agni-II, it's hoped the ATV project will finally provide it with the third leg of the nuclear triad.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,great news here,according to the indian defence minister ,the first indigenous aircraft carrier is to be ready on schedule by 2012 ,and on successfull completion of the project indian navy is to place further orders with the cochin shipyards limited.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/19/stories/2007031902571300.htm



KOCHI: The incorporation of the Integrity Pact in defence contracts will usher in transparency in the sector, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said.
The pact has penal provisions to ensure that there are no underhand dealings in arms purchases.
Addressing mediapersons at the Southern Naval Command here on Sunday after delivering the keynote address at a seminar on maritime issues and challenges, he said the 12-member Defence Acquisition Council with him as the Chairman, takes joint decisions on defence purchases.
The Council has as members the chiefs of the three services and officials from related departments. The integrated Council was formed to counter corruption and speed up decision-making in military procurements.
Answering a query on the terrorist threat to the country from the seas, he said the Navy, Coast Guard and personnel of coastal police stations must act in coordination, to thwart attempts to attack our coastal assets.
"Joint patrolling by the navies of India and Sri Lanka has been suggested, to keep trouble-makers at bay. We already have unmanned aerial vehicles to do surveillance of the coast. Three offshore-patrol vessels and more helicopters will be commissioned into the Navy."
Referring to the nation's first indigenous aircraft carrier under construction in Cochin Shipyard, Mr. Antony said the vessel will roll out as scheduled, in 2012. "We will place orders with the shipyard for more warships, if the delivery is on time."
He said Special Economic Zones should not be at the cost of peasants. Development clusters like port-based SEZs must not cause land-speculation. "The peasant is the bedrock of our society and economy." Referring to the deliberations at the maritime seminar, Mr. Antony said that common people must be accorded primacy, instead of concentrating on grand projects alone.

 

[Superczar]

One of the main reasons for the long delay has been the technical problem of designing and fitting a miniaturised PWR and its containment vessel in the submarine's hull. After the PWRs designed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre failed to pass muster, India had turned to Russia for two 90-megawatt PWRs and related parts. There are also some Israeli, French and German imprints in the project.

Rajat Pandit at it again nfloorl: Dont count on this report guys.

IIRC the nuclear reactor has reached a good stage previous year but capacity isnt known.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,here is another interesting news article on the atv class of submarine ,this time from a different source.

here is the link and the article:

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india-launches-1st-nuclear-submarine/36394-3.html

New Delhi: India is set to launch its first nuclear submarine later this year which if successful will put the country in an extremely exclusive club.

The project codenamed the Advanced Technology Vessel has been crawling since the 1970s.

Reports now indicate that India has overcome the biggest problem or miniaturisation of a nuclear power plant that is to be mounted on a submarine hull.

There are whispers of Russian assistance with the mini nuclear plant that has been reportedly tested and validated at Kalpakkam.

The vessel will be launched in Vishakapatnam and sea trials for this submarine are slated to begin by 2010, and are expected to be fully operational by 2012.

The vessel displaces 6, 500 tonnes and can stay submerged for upto 100 days. Armed with guided missiles, it will have a crew of 70 people.

The last time the Indian Navy operated a nuclear submarine was in the late 1980s, when it leased a Russian Charlie class vessel.

India is also in negotiations to acquire two Russian-made nuclear submarines of the Akula class.

 

[XEROX]

South Korea, India Open Arms Sale Talks


By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
Senior defense officials from South Korea and India on Monday opened their first-ever talks on cooperation in weapons sales, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said Monday.

The meeting is a follow-up to a memorandum of understanding on defense acquisition cooperation signed in September 2005, the office said in a statement.

Lee Sun-hi, commissioner of the DAPA, represented South Korea at the five-day meeting, while K. P. Singh, India's secretary for defense production, led the Indian delegation, it said in a statement.

``The two sides will discuss ways to cooperate on the development and export of 5,000-ton frigates, armored vehicles, military trucks, K-9 howitzers and so on,'' a DAPA spokesman said, on the condition of anonymity.

The two countries will also address issues regarding cooperation on procurement systems and defense technology, he said.

``Korea-India cooperation will bring a synergy effect because Seoul sees India as a strong trading partner for arms sales, given the country's ongoing arms race with the United States and China, while New Delhi has a keen interest in our country's high-end defense technologies such as shipbuilding, the spokesman added.

Currently, South Korea and India are conducting joint research on K-9 self-propelled artillery and mine countermeasure vessels. Seoul holds arms sales meetings with a total of 24 countries around the world annually.

Later in the day, the Indian delegates paid a courtesy call to Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo at the ministry in Seoul.

The Indian officials are scheduled to visit the state-run Agency for Defense Development in Taejon and other defense firms before leaving Seoul on Friday, DAPA officials said.

Link

This is very intresting news, if true im sure this is a start for something big for Indo-Korean ties.

From the article im asuming a JV for 5000-Tone Frigate is on the cards?

 

[Superczar]

From the article im asuming a JV for 5000-Tone Frigate is on the cards?

Dont know the quality of journalist who wrote the article but i doubt it, Indian Navy has already flown a RFP to Europe for a possible Design of new generation Frigates with each costing around 800 mn dollars, 7 of such will be made i really dont think any more Frigates are on the line after 7 + 3 Shivaliks under construction.

Though nothing has been finalised we may as well go for a design fusion, lets see what our Naval Design Beaureau selects.

But i remember reading a JV for mine countermeasure Glass fibre vessel with korea.

 

[aaaditya]

Dont know the quality of journalist who wrote the article but i doubt it, Indian Navy has already flown a RFP to Europe for a possible Design of new generation Frigates with each costing around 800 mn dollars, 7 of such will be made i really dont think any more Frigates are on the line after 7 + 3 Shivaliks under construction.

Though nothing has been finalised we may as well go for a design fusion, lets see what our Naval Design Beaureau selects.

But i remember reading a JV for mine countermeasure Glass fibre vessel with korea.

only request for information has been sent and not request for proposals ,the request for information has been sent to 9 european and russian shipyards and to south korea(most probably hyundai for its kdx2 frigates).

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,great news here,the first pollution control vessel for the indian coast guard has been launched and is expected to be commissioned in another 6 months ,followed by 2 more vessels at 6 months intervals.these vessels have 3300 ton displacement and are based on a rolls-royce design.

here check out this link and article:

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=26235

Indian Coast Guard launched its first dedicated Pollution Control Vessel built by the ABG Shipyard at Surat today. The vessel is named as “Samudra Prahari” (Ocean Guard) and was launched by Mrs. Thrity R Contractor, wife of Vice Admiral RF Contractor, Director General, Indian Coast Guard.

The Pollution Control Vessel is 94 m long with a displacement of 3300 Tons and maximum draught of 4.5 meters. The vessel has a designed speed of 20.5 knots. The vessel has capability to recover and store 300 Tons of spilled oil from sea. In addition, it is capable of continuously recovering and transferring of spilled oil through floating barges. The vessel can also carry out other Coast Guard duties at sea. It can operate Chetak, ALH & SeaKing helicopters from her deck including stowage of Chetak helicopter. It is fitted with a state of art Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for centralized monitoring and control of machineries and other systems. This vessel is expected to be completed and delivered to the Coast Guard in next six months. Subsequently, two more vessels are likely to be completed and delivered thereafter within an interval of six months each.

The induction of the new vessel will further enhance the pollution control capabilities of Indian Coast Guard to a great extent.

 

[contedicavour]

Dont know the quality of journalist who wrote the article but i doubt it, Indian Navy has already flown a RFP to Europe for a possible Design of new generation Frigates with each costing around 800 mn dollars, 7 of such will be made i really dont think any more Frigates are on the line after 7 + 3 Shivaliks under construction.

Though nothing has been finalised we may as well go for a design fusion, lets see what our Naval Design Beaureau selects.

But i remember reading a JV for mine countermeasure Glass fibre vessel with korea.

No wonder India's navy is interested in mine counter measure vessels from Italy and Korea... the Korean ones are a close copy of the Italian Gaeta class (without authorization).
Given India's shipbuilders' recent successes (just think of the Delhi and Bangalore DDGs) I wonder why India should seek joint ventures with Korean shipyards ?! All that India still lacks is the local development of systems comparable to the improved Shtil SAM, but Korea uses US Standard SAMs.

cheers

 

[tphuang]

No wonder India's navy is interested in mine counter measure vessels from Italy and Korea... the Korean ones are a close copy of the Italian Gaeta class (without authorization).
Given India's shipbuilders' recent successes (just think of the Delhi and Bangalore DDGs) I wonder why India should seek joint ventures with Korean shipyards ?! All that India still lacks is the local development of systems comparable to the improved Shtil SAM, but Korea uses US Standard SAMs.

cheers

well, the Korean shipbuilding industry does have probably the best cost to quality ratio in the world. You can't really compare the workmanship of something coming out of a South Korean shipyard to something out of a Russian shipyard.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,check out this interesting link and article,it gives some information regarding the development of the indian armed forces tri-services command and the fortress andaman and nicobar and an insight into its importance in the region.

here is the link and article:

http://www.indiaenews.com/india/20070323/44468.htm

India's southernmost military base that lies closer to the country's littoral states than the mainland, is gearing itself for an energy security role in the Indian Ocean, even as it hopes to further New Delhi's Look East policy.
Located in this capital of the Andaman and Nicobar chain, a cluster of 572 islands that extend in a 720-km long chain, some 1,200 km off the southern and eastern coasts, the military base guards an area that comprises just 0.2 percent of the country's land mass but is tasked with protecting a whopping 30 percent of its exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Toward this end, the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) envisages a major ramping up of its assets by permanently deploying at some stage fighter aircraft, as also creating infrastructure to enable the docking of large naval vessels.
'This is the place where the action will be,' the ANC head, Air Marshal P.P. Raj Kumar, told reporters here, a day ahead of a visit by Defence Minister A.K. Antony to study first hand the strategic location of the base.
The ANC is also India's first tri-services command, which means it has under its wing assets from all three wings of the armed forces, as also the coast guard. Its chief is drawn by rotation from the army, the navy and the air force.
The ANC, which also includes an element from the coast guard, had played a stellar role in the wake of the devastating Dec 26, 2004 tsunami that ravaged the islands by providing succour to its inhabitants and also to countries like Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives that too were badly affected.
'The reason we were able to do this so effectively was because we are a tri-services command. Thus, there were no problems of coordination that usually arise on such occasions,' ANC deputy chief Rear Admiral P.V. Nair pointed out.
During his visit, Antony will witness first hand the interoperability the three services have achieved as they conduct a series of exercises, including amphibious landings by soldiers with ships and aircraft providing close support.
'There is the question of protecting the EEZ. There is also the question of guarding the approaches to the Malacca Straits (the world busiest water through which 70,000 vessels transit each year and which is prone to sea piracy and other criminal acts),' Kumar added.
'The ANC also has the unique responsibility, in consonance with India's Look East policy, of reaching out to the defence forces of India's maritime neighbours and building bridges of friendship,' he pointed out.
Speaking about the importance of the SEZ for India's energy security, Kumar said that with oil and gas having been discovered in the seabed on the Myanmarese side of the zone, 'it is only a matter of time before similar discoveries are made on our side.'
India's exploration major Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has, under the New Exploration Licensing Policy (NELP) 2005-07, already invited bids for two exploration blocks off the eastern coast of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and prospecting is expected to begin soon.
'There is also the question of transporting the oil and gas that will be found. Whether this is done by tankers or through a seabed pipeline, this route will have to be made secure,' Kumar pointed out.
To hone its skills in these areas, as also to counter sea piracy and terrorist activities, the ANC regularly conducts joint exercises with the navies of Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore, as also the larger Milan exercise, the 2006 edition of which saw the participation of 20 vessels from eight countries, including Australia.
The ANC began life in February 1964 as the naval base INS Jarawa, named after one of the tribes that inhabit the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. By the end of 1976, the base had expanded with the addition of another naval station and a coast guard station, and the induction of a 900-men army infantry battalion.
INS Jarawa was re-christened Fortress Andaman and Nicobar (FORTAN) in 1981 and this saw the addition of a third naval station, an increase in army strength to brigade (3,000 men) level and the addition of an air wing.
In 2000, a panel that studied the conduct of the Kargil War with Pakistan the previous year recommended that FORTAN be converted into a tri-services command to enable better coordination between the armed forces both in times of peace and during war.
ANC came into being in October 2001, its first head being Vice Admiral Arun Prakash, who eventually rose to be the Indian Navy chief.
'Ours is a unique feature of the armed forces,' Nair said of the experience of the past six years, adding 'what we have done here can be replicated across the spectrum of the defence forces.'

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,great news here ,bharat heavy electricals limited (BHEL) ,india's largest power and transmission equipment manufacturer is to enter into the defence technology field and is to manufacture all types of guns mortars and under water weapons technology.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.businessstandard.com/common/storypage_c.php?leftnm=10&bKeyFlag=BO&autono=278721&chkFlg=

India’s largest power and transmission equipment manufacturer, state-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL), is planning to produce defence equipment, including weapons. It is likely to manufacture all types of guns, including field guns, air defence guns, and mortars for the Indian defence sector and para-military forces. The listed company has also firmed up plans to produce underwater weapon systems, weapon control solutions and its components. Sources said the company had already applied for a licence to produce defence products. BHEL executives confirmed the development but declined to divulge details. At present, Ordnance Factory Board is the only public sector undertaking that manufactures arms and ammunition. In the defence space, BHEL will have to compete with leading private players such as Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Tata Power, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Godrej Industries, Kirloskar Brothers, Ashok Leyland, Jindal, Max Aerospace & Aviation and Ramoss India. According to industry analysts, defence production is turning lucrative as the defence sector is augmenting its weapon infrastructure. “Moreover, the companies which have secured a licence will benefit from the offset policy announced by the Ministry of Defence. According to the offset policy, overseas players bagging Indian defence contracts will have to source 30 per cent of the defence requirements through Indian companies,” they added. “BHEL has plans to enter defence avionics by manufacturing all types of components for unmanned air vehicles, aerostats, and unmanned aerial combat vehicles. The company will also make necessary air-borne assemblies and related systems,” a source said. The public sector company is also looking at a range of other defence items such as rocket launchers, defence electronics, torpedoes and components of armoured and combat vehicles. The investment for the proposed defence foray was not disclosed. “Defence is one of the sectors the company is seriously looking at. BHEL will be manufacturing defence products within its existing facilities,” sources said.

 

[XEROX]

well, the Korean shipbuilding industry does have probably the best cost to quality ratio in the world. You can't really compare the workmanship of something coming out of a South Korean shipyard to something out of a Russian shipyard.

Has the Indian navy issued requests to South Korean ship yards for its next generation friggate procurment program??

 

[tphuang]

Has the Indian navy issued requests to South Korean ship yards for its next generation friggate procurment program??

I believe South Korea is one of the countries.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,interesting news here ,it seems that russia has offered india the sale of its project 22350 gorshkov class of frigates.

here check out this link and article:

http://www.kommersant.com/p754284/India_shipbuilding/

India May Buy Russian Frigate


Russia has offered India the export version of its new Project 22 350 frigate as part of a tender for the construction of seven ships. Only one ship of that project has been laid so far. That one was begun in February 2006 at the Northern Wharf. According to the Indian press, proposals to participate in the tender were sent to European, American and Russian wharves at the end of last year.


The Indian program is worth $6.6 billion and foresees the construction of one ship in a foreign wharf and six ships in India under license. Between 1998 and 2003, Russia built three 1135.6 frigates for India. The Indians have begun the construction of three of their own Project 17 frigates at the Mazagon wharves. Those ships were designed in conjunction with the Russian Northern Design and Construction Bureau and the Canadian CAE based on the Project 1135.6. Up to 12 more of improved Project 17A model may be built as well.

also check out this link ,it contains some information about this frigate,along with its specifications and a line diagramme:

http://warfare.ru/?linkid=2544&catid=270

 

[contedicavour]

Smart move on the Russians' side. They are trying to keep control over the Indian surface warship naval market which is starting to open up with tenders open to Western and Asian defence firms.
The 22350 though is still so vague in terms of final armament and sensor suite that there are chances that the Indian Navy will be able to customize it to a very high degree.

cheers

 

[XEROX]

Smart move on the Russians' side.

And as usual, a dumb move by India, having all its eggs in one basket is risky buisness.

 

[Superczar]

Dont be so sure Indias NDB will go for Russian design, for all we know This is Indias quest to access the level of building technology that India dont have to make the next ones much like Krivak-Shivaliks.

I'm putting my money on European Design, and as conect put it, heavily customised.

Also India Navy is interested in a satellite Grid exclusively for Navy (I have read it somewhere) and they said in preliminary reports these ships will have some sort of direct connectivity or whatever?

 

[aaaditya]

Dont be so sure Indias NDB will go for Russian design, for all we know This is Indias quest to access the level of building technology that India dont have to make the next ones much like Krivak-Shivaliks.

I'm putting my money on European Design, and as conect put it, heavily customised.

Also India Navy is interested in a satellite Grid exclusively for Navy (I have read it somewhere) and they said in preliminary reports these ships will have some sort of direct connectivity or whatever?

and i believe that the south korean design has a fair chance ,indian navy is the most impartial of the three indian armed forces.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,check out this link ,it gives some more information on the russian designed project 22350 sergei admiral gorshkov class of frigate on offer by russia to india.

here is the link and the article:

http://www.domain-b.com/aero/20070331_offers.htm

Russia has offered India the export version of its new Project 22350 frigate as part of a tender for the construction of seven ships. The Russian offer is in response to a Request for Information (RFI), issued by India to about a dozen European, Russian and American shipyards in December last year.
The RFI is the first formal step in the process of military acquisition.

According to Indian defence industry sources, the proposed acquisition of these seven ships may well be worth more than Rs30,000 crore. At the time the RFI was issued, the then newly anointed chief of the Indian naval staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta had said that the proposed acquisition was meant to offset the delay in the acquisition of modern equipment by the Indian Navy that had occurred over the past two decades.
This delay, Mehta said, were due to constraints on defence budgets and other factors, as also the inability of Indian shipyards to deliver ships on time.
The RFI is for a set of seven stealth frigates, each costing about Rs4,000 crore. According to reports, the plan envisages the first ship to be built at the foreign shipyard, with the remaining units being built at Mazagon Docks Ltd in Mumbai or at the Garden Reach Shipyard in Kolkata.
The project, designated P-17A, is envisaged as the next generation of ships that will be an upgrade over the ongoing Project 17 Shivalik class multi-role stealth frigates. Currently construction work on three of these Project 17 frigates is on at the Mazagon wharves.
As for the Project 22350, this is an "escort ship intended for the distant maritime and ocean zones," according to the authoritative Russian publication Military Parade. One ship of this project is already under construction, the Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, the keel for which was laid down at the Saint Petersburg-based Severnaya Verf shipyard in February 2006.
As per details provided by Military Parade these ships will have a displacement of about 4,500 tonnes, a length of over 130 meters, a maximum width of 16 meters, a range of over 4,000 miles, and "an unlimited sea-going ability." It is not clear what this last comment by Military Parade is intended to mean.
The frigate will be armed with eight Oniks anti-ship missiles, the A-192 130mm gun mount, the Medvedka-2 antisubmarine missile system, the Uragan medium-range air-defence missile system, and a hangar-parked helicopter.
The Admiral Sergei Gorshkov is scheduled for launch in 2009. According to the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Masorin, Russia's Navy intends to procure up to 20 such ships.
According to Military Parade construction costs of the ship are pegged at over $300 million.
The significance of the project for the Russians lies in the fact that the new project 22350 frigate, Admiral Sergei Gorshkov, is the first ship that has been designed and built for the Russian Navy after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian Navy has had no surface ships built for it over the last 15 years.
According to Russian reports the project is likely to utilize "engineering solutions" used to build the 1135.6 frigates (Talwar class) frigates for the Indian Navy. If so, it would be another instance of Indian money, and defence orders, reviving projects for the Russian defence industry.
Between 1998 and 2003, Russia built three 1135.6 frigates for India, namely the INS Talwar, Trishul and Tabar, all of which have been inducted into service. The Indians have placed follow on orders for three more of these frigates, which have gone to a shipyard different from the one that built the original three.
As with the Indian Air Force, the Indian Navy also got a foreign partner involved with the design and solutions aspect of the INS Talwar class frigates through the Canadian firm CAE.
​