Indian Navy (IN) News and Discussion

[niteshkjain]

Link: http://www.hindu.com/2008/04/19/stories/2008041960470700.htm

Anti-submarine corvette for Navy next year

J Balaji
Each ship will cost around Rs. 700 crore: GRSE General Manager
VISAKHAPATNAM: The Garden Reach Ship Builders and Engineeers (GRSE) Limited, Kolkata, a PSU of the Defence Ministry, will release the first of the four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes, ordered by the Navy, in the middle of next year.

GRSE Additional General Manager Deepak Pathi told The Hindu from Kolkata that each ship would cost around Rs.700 crores and this was the first time that the ships, with the state-of-the-art technology, were built in India with mostly indigenous equipment.

Named project 28 class, each ship, known as “hunters and killers”, would be of medium size and would be fully packed with advanced and modern weapons.

Sources said the subsequent ships would be delivered in a gap of 15-18 months. The Navy plans to have 12 such ships and the order for these four ships was given under phase I.

Though the order for the corvettes was given as early as 2003 for some unforeseen reasons the plate cutting for the first vessel commenced only on August 12, 2005.

Each of the ASW corvette would have 2500 tonnes standard displacement with a length of 110 metres. It could sail at a maximum speed of 28 to 32 knots.

The ships would be powered by four Pielstick 12 PA6 STC engines, each rated at 4270 KW.

Known as ASW surface combatant for the Indian Navy for the 21st century, the vessels would be armed with stealth-mounted guns, the latest electronic warfare suite. The structure of the ship would be such that it would cut down noise drastically to prevent it from getting detected by enemy submarines. But it will be able to detect an enemy submarine from a distance and destroy it.

 

[contedicavour]

Indian Sea Harrier Tests BVR Missile

By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI
Published: 16 Apr 11:09 EDT (07:09 GMT) PRINT | EMAIL

NEW DELHI - Operating in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Goa last week, an Indian navy Sea Harrier test-fired a Derby beyond-visual-range (BVR) missile.

It was the Navy's first live test of the Israeli-made Derby, a senior service official said April 15, and two more live tests are planned in the near future.

Indian navy sources said the missile hit its target on the high seas from a distance of 20 kilometers at a speed of Mach 1.2 and was able to lock onto the target before launch.

The Indian navy signed a $25 million contract in 2005 with the missile's maker, Rafael, for procurement of 20 Derby missiles to replace aging Sea Eagle missiles bought from BAE Systems in the early 1980s.

Meanwhile, India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics is upgrading the Navy's 15 Sea Harrier jump jets, purchased from BAE in 1983, under a $115 million contract. The upgraded aircraft will be armed with the Derby BVR missile.

The Sea Harriers were set to be retired along with the aircraft carrier INS Viraat in 2010, the Navy official said, but this upgrade will keep the planes in service for deployment on the planned Air Defense Ship.

Link:http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3480072&c=ASI&s=AIR

Aside from the mistake on the Sea Eagles (ASMs not AAMs) already highlighted by Salty Dog, this is good news for the Indian Navy who has had only bad news on carriers for quite a while...
Derbys are certainly not of the same league as AIM120, but they do provide a serious BVR capability while IN waits for a ship capable of using the navalized MIG29s... looooooong wait....

cheers

 

[aaaditya]

Aside from the mistake on the Sea Eagles (ASMs not AAMs) already highlighted by Salty Dog, this is good news for the Indian Navy who has had only bad news on carriers for quite a while...
Derbys are certainly not of the same league as AIM120, but they do provide a serious BVR capability while IN waits for a ship capable of using the navalized MIG29s... looooooong wait....

cheers

taht doesnt mean that they cannot use the mig29k's ,mig29k's deployed at shore bases agianst pakistan can prove to be formidable threat to pakistani shipping (both naval and commercial).

on the eastern coast if deployed at haldia or at the carnic base can effectively monitor the mallaca straits though would require inflight refuelling support.

 

[contedicavour]

taht doesnt mean that they cannot use the mig29k's ,mig29k's deployed at shore bases agianst pakistan can prove to be formidable threat to pakistani shipping (both naval and commercial).

on the eastern coast if deployed at haldia or at the carnic base can effectively monitor the mallaca straits though would require inflight refuelling support.

Good point. Though they will remain land-based for quite a while now and for training purposes they will probably end up in some USN base to ensure the pilots are carrier trained...

cheers

 

[niteshkjain]

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200804252073.htm

Indian naval chief to meet top Pentagon officials

Washington (PTI): Indian naval chief Admiral Suresh Mehta plans to meet top Pentagon officials in Washington to boost military ties between India and the United States. Admiral Mehta is scheduled to meet top US officials including Secretary of the Navy, the Deputy Defence Secretary Gordon England and the Chief of Naval Operations at the Defence Department on Monday.

The Indian Navy Chief is on a "bilateral goodwill visit" and has nothing to do with any signing of multi-billion dollar deals, a senior official told PTI. Admiral Mehta arrived in the US earlier this week and among his first calls were a meeting of the Pacific Fleet Commander and a visit to naval installations and bases in San Diego.

The naval chief also visited United States Navy Training Center that is inclusive of simulators and where more than 50,000 personnel are trained. Before arriving in Washington on April 28 for his meetings, Admiral Mehta will be visiting Jacksonville, Florida, and the navy facility in Norfolk. The Indian Admiral will also plans to see the Naval Academy in Annapolis before leaving for home on Tuesday.

 

[Firehorse]

India worried about China's growing N-sub prowess

I wonder what are the odds that the US will help India with her ATV (advanced technology vessel) project to speed it up?

 

[niteshkjain]

Why US will help India in this regard moreover the point here is Does India need any help from US in this regard? India has already shown capability to launch SLBM and ATV is slated for sea trials in 2009. So point of US helping India doesn't arise.

 

[Salty Dog]

Possible Indian buy of additional Phalanx systems. Note the author calls the ex-USS Trenton a "carrier"

India May Purchase Phalanx Weapon System

May 7, 2008

Neelam Mathews/Aerospace Daily & Defense Report

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – India may be looking at further purchases of the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, which is mounted on the carrier USS Trenton that was sold to the Indian navy.

Since renamed INS Jalashva, the Trenton arrived in India with two Phalanx weapons systems onboard. Raytheon Missile Systems is talking to India about purchasing more Phalanx systems for other ships in the Indian navy.

Phalanx is a rapid-fire, computer-controlled, radar-guided gun system designed to defeat anti-ship missiles and other close-in air and surface threats. A self-contained package, Phalanx automatically carries out functions usually performed by multiple systems – including search, detection, threat evaluation, tracking, engagement, and kill assessment.

Preliminary discussions are on with the Indian navy, which is looking at an annual maintenance contract. “We see this as a sign to move forward as we are talking turkey,” said Mark Nichol, Raytheon’s regional director.

“Our focus is to move from international sales to global business,” he added.

Nichol hopes the talks will lead to India eventually purchasing the Block 1B upgrade to the Phalanx system as well.

With its surface mode configuration, Block 1B would augment the anti-air warfare capability by adding a forward looking infrared sensor and optimized gun barrels to the Block 1A configuration. It allows Phalanx to be used against littoral threats such as helicopters and high-speed boats. Block 1B also adds new control stations with situational awareness that allows operators to visually track and identify targets before engagement

Meanwhile, Raytheon has signed seven memorandums of understanding with private companies in India that produce a wide range of products in the areas of communications, radar, naval systems, telecommunications and broadcast, electronic warfare, tank electronics, opto-electronics, professional electronic components, and solar photovoltaic systems. The partner companies provide offset potential for projects ranging from manufacturing to defense, according to Raytheon.

 

[niteshkjain]

Six more submarines

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...e_six_more_submarines/articleshow/3024705.cms



India to acquire six more submarines: Naval Chief
9 May, 2008, 1356 hrs IST, PTI


MUMBAI: India will soon float global tenders to acquire six submarines but would like to see indigenous development of this technology in the future, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said on Friday.

These six submarines would be in addition to the Scorpene submarines, which the Indian navy is expected to acquire soon.

"In accordance with the plan to keep a certain number of submarines in the force, we will be acquiring six of one type (Scorpene) and six of another type," Mehta said at a press conference, marking the end of a two-day-long naval commanders' conference held here.

The development of Scorpene submarines had been delayed and it was now time to look for a second type of submarine, he said.

Mehta said, "We need to have indigenous capability for building these submarines and Indian Navy has been a strong proponent of indigenous development. Therefore, we would expect that our shipyards take over the technology from some of these companies and thereafter build it themselves."

The submarines for which tenders would be floated could also have vertical missile launch capabilities, he added.

The Indian Navy's requirement was small and, therefore, it presently could obtain the submarines from abroad, the admiral said, adding the navy was also hopeful of obtaining nuclear powered submarines in the future.

"The nuclear powered submarines could be equipped either with nuclear or conventional weapons. The present nuclear submarine project was being developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO)," he added.

 

[aaaditya]

Six more submarines

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com...e_six_more_submarines/articleshow/3024705.cms



India to acquire six more submarines: Naval Chief
9 May, 2008, 1356 hrs IST, PTI


MUMBAI: India will soon float global tenders to acquire six submarines but would like to see indigenous development of this technology in the future, Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said on Friday.

These six submarines would be in addition to the Scorpene submarines, which the Indian navy is expected to acquire soon.

"In accordance with the plan to keep a certain number of submarines in the force, we will be acquiring six of one type (Scorpene) and six of another type," Mehta said at a press conference, marking the end of a two-day-long naval commanders' conference held here.

The development of Scorpene submarines had been delayed and it was now time to look for a second type of submarine, he said.

Mehta said, "We need to have indigenous capability for building these submarines and Indian Navy has been a strong proponent of indigenous development. Therefore, we would expect that our shipyards take over the technology from some of these companies and thereafter build it themselves."

The submarines for which tenders would be floated could also have vertical missile launch capabilities, he added.

The Indian Navy's requirement was small and, therefore, it presently could obtain the submarines from abroad, the admiral said, adding the navy was also hopeful of obtaining nuclear powered submarines in the future.

"The nuclear powered submarines could be equipped either with nuclear or conventional weapons. The present nuclear submarine project was being developed by Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO)," he added.

i wonder which current sub designs have vls capability?i know for sure that amur has this capability.

 

[niteshkjain]

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Indian-Navy-set-to-get-Boeing-P-8i-Poseidons/310495/

Indian Navy set to get Boeing P-8i Poseidons
Huma Siddiqui




Renton (Washington State),May 15 Indian Navy will soon have an edge in the Indian Ocean once it inks $2.2 billion deal for eight maritime patrol planes from Boeing.The agreement is expected to be signed soon.

The Boeing P-8i Poseidons long-range maritime reconnaissance (LRMR)patrol aircraft will enable the Indian Navy to operate a platform almost simultaneously with the USNavy.

Richard Buck,Boeing's international programme manager for P8,said that India would be able to leverage on the substantial investment made in the P8 by the US Navy.

A lot of issues relating to the P-8i for the Indian Navy are still in the process of being sorted out,said Buck.

So far,the company officials claim that $4 billion had already been spent on the development of the aircraft.The uniqueness of the programme is that it is not being negotiated under the US foreign military sales (FMS)programme but as adirectcommercial agreement between Boeing and the Indian Navy.

Responding to a question, Buck said,"Under the request for proposal (RFP)received, the first aircraft has to be delivered within 48 months of the contract being signed and the remaining within an eight-year time frame."

Buck said,"We are offering next generation technology that will keep the plane in service till 2050at the least.Beit in an anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare,intelligence gathering,surveillance or reconnaissance roles,the P8I combines superior performance and proven reliability againstanyotheraircraftflying today."

The P-8i,based on the Boeing-737 commercial airliner, was competing with the European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS)'s A-319 maritime patrol aircraft and other contenders in meeting 'qualitative requirements'in the technical trials held by the Navy.The P-8i,a customised version for the Indian Navy,is based on the hugely successful Boeing-737 commercial airliner.The navy had,in November 2006,expressed an interest in the aircraft as a replacement for its existing fleet of Il-38 aircraft.

 

[Sea Toby]

I did the math, that is US$ 275 million each. Ouch. That is over Australia$ 300 million each. This is a lot of money.

I can't see New Zealand spending a billion, or more than 3.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,interesting news here,the south korean naval chief is on a visit to india to discuss joint co-operation with india,india seems to be very interested in the south korean ship building technology.

here is the link and the article:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/311812.html


NEW DELHI, MAY 19: Admiral Jung Ok-Keun arrived here on Monday to mark the first-ever visit of a South Korean Navy Chief to India. The visiting military head, who was given a traditional guard of honour at South Block, met his Indian counterpart Admiral Sureesh Mehta and interacted with the Navy brass.
While their discussions were not made public, it is learnt that the two sides talked about common security concerns and identified areas of mutual interest for maritime cooperation in the future.

The visit comes weeks after China’s latest nuclear submarine base at Hainan island was revealed to the world through satellite images. Interestingly, the Chief of the Philippine Navy — another key player in the South China Sea region — Vice Admiral Rogelio I Calunsag also stopped over for a short visit to New Delhi last week.
Besides common security concerns, India is said to have expressed interest in gaining knowledge in ship building techniques from South Korea. The country, which has one of the biggest ship builders in the world, also has expertise in naval vessels. Admiral Jung Ok-Keun, who will head for Agra after Delhi, is also scheduled to visit Mumbai for interactions with the Western Naval Command. Besides a tour of the New Delhi class frigates, he is also expected to visit the Mazagaon shipyard.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys great news here,indian coast guard is to induct fifth advanced offshore patrol vessel soon.

these vessels shall tremendously bolster the coast guard's capabilities.

here check out this interesting link and article,it also gives some information on the vessels specifications.

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=38988

ANTONY TO INDUCT 5TH AOPV ‘ICGS SANKALP’ INTO COAST GUARD TOMORROW 16:14 IST [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT] The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony will induct the 5th Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), ‘ICGS Sankalp’, into the Coast Guard at a function in Goa tomorrow. The Director General, Indian Coast Guard, Vice Admiral RF Contractor will also be present at the commissioning ceremony.

The ICGS Sankalp has been designed and built indigenously by the defence PSU, Goa Shipyard Limited. The AOPV is designed to carry one twin engine helicopter, including the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and five high speed boats for search & rescue, prompt interception and marine pollution response missions. It is equipped with sophisticated navigational and communication sensors. The special features include an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), high power External Fire Fighting System and two indigenously built Gun Mounts. Besides, an Infra-Red Surveillance System will impart the AOPV with night vision capability.

The ship, to be based in Mumbai, is 105 meters long, draws 2,300 tons and is propelled by 8000 hp twin diesel engines to a maximum speed of 25 knots. It can sail upto 6,500 nautical miles without refueling. DIG K S Sheoran will be the first commandant of the ICGS “Sankalp”.

The Coast Guard plans to induct one more AOPV, three Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs), five Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) and 11 Interceptor Boats (IBs), which are under various stages of construction at the Indian shipyards, into its fleet by next year.

 

[kay_man]

hey guys great news here,indian coast guard is to induct fifth advanced offshore patrol vessel soon.

these vessels shall tremendously bolster the coast guard's capabilities.

here check out this interesting link and article,it also gives some information on the vessels specifications.

http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page.asp?relid=38988

ANTONY TO INDUCT 5TH AOPV ‘ICGS SANKALP’ INTO COAST GUARD TOMORROW 16:14 IST [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT] The Defence Minister Shri AK Antony will induct the 5th Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV), ‘ICGS Sankalp’, into the Coast Guard at a function in Goa tomorrow. The Director General, Indian Coast Guard, Vice Admiral RF Contractor will also be present at the commissioning ceremony.

The ICGS Sankalp has been designed and built indigenously by the defence PSU, Goa Shipyard Limited. The AOPV is designed to carry one twin engine helicopter, including the indigenously built Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), and five high speed boats for search & rescue, prompt interception and marine pollution response missions. It is equipped with sophisticated navigational and communication sensors. The special features include an Integrated Bridge System (IBS), Integrated Machinery Control System (IMCS), high power External Fire Fighting System and two indigenously built Gun Mounts. Besides, an Infra-Red Surveillance System will impart the AOPV with night vision capability.

The ship, to be based in Mumbai, is 105 meters long, draws 2,300 tons and is propelled by 8000 hp twin diesel engines to a maximum speed of 25 knots. It can sail upto 6,500 nautical miles without refueling. DIG K S Sheoran will be the first commandant of the ICGS “Sankalp”.

The Coast Guard plans to induct one more AOPV, three Pollution Control Vessels (PCVs), five Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs) and 11 Interceptor Boats (IBs), which are under various stages of construction at the Indian shipyards, into its fleet by next year.

very vague datails and no pic. how fast does this thing go , weapon systems?

 

[swerve]

very vague datails and no pic. how fast does this thing go , weapon systems?

Try Google. Works for me.

 

[aaaditya]

very vague datails and no pic. how fast does this thing go , weapon systems?

they have a cad image of this ship and the nopv on the bharat rakshak site, this vessel is to be eqipped with the oto-melara super rapid 76mm gun ,the nopv design also shows an addition of what could be anti aircraft guns,these vessels have a maximum speed of 25 kts and a range of 6500 nautical miles,the bridge modular displays are to be supplied by raytheon marine systems.

 

[aaaditya]

such patrol vessels would be extremely usefull in the scenarios highlighted in this article:

http://www.indianexpress.com/story/313850.html


NEW DELHI, MAY 23: Just before the Indian sailors onboard hijacked ship MV Victoria were released on Friday, India had readied a frontline guided missile destroyer, complete with a crack marine commandos (MARCOS) team, for a rescue mission to the Somalia coast.
The strike mission was called off after the issue got resolved, but it has come to light that the Navy had prepared for any extreme eventuality and readied one its most modern warships, the guided missile destroyer INS Delhi, for a fast dash to the Somali coast.

A crack team of the Navy’s elite anti-terror special operations unit, which is trained for operations on oil rigs and merchant ships, was placed on board the INS Delhi on Thursday morning.
Officers and sailors of the warship who had gone on leave were called back on ‘emergency duty’ for the mission.
Sources confirmed that the heavily armed warship, which carries two Sea King helicopters and reaches speeds greater thab 32 knots, was hours away from deployment when the situation deescalated.
However, the INS Mumbai, another Delhi class destroyer, was asked to head to Somalia to keep track of the hijacked ship. INS Mumbai was already in African waters as it was returning from an exercise with the South Africa and Brazil navies, although it did not have a MARCOS team onboard
While a rescue mission to Somalia would have required an approval from the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the incident shows that the Navy was prepared to launch what would have been its first ever strike operation at such a distance from Indian waters. Besides the IPKF operations in Sri Lanka between 1987-1990, the only other time MARCOS operated beyond Indian waters was near Maldives during Operation Cactus in 1988.





besides anti piracy these vessels can also be used as convoy escorts to provide security to merchant convoys and for coastal defence,search and rescue roles in times of a war thus reducing the workload on the indian navy.

 

[aaaditya]

hey guys,check out this interesting link and article,it seems that the indian navy plans to acquire lpd's ,indian navy is particularly interested in the french mistral design,and the garden reach shipyards and engineers limited are studying this design.

here is the link and the article:

http://outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?gid=73&id=572931


Navy proposes to build huge ship landing docks

NEW DELHI, MAY 20 (PTI)
Having cleared the decks for manufacture of large aircraft carriers indigenously, the navy is now proposing to venture into building huge ship landing docks to give it the capability to carry heavily armed troops and armaments over oceans.
The Naval Design Bureau has now finalised plans to go ahead to manufacture over 20,000 tonne displacement landing ship docks on the pattern of the INS Jalashva, which it recently acquired from the US Navy.
Along with trying its hand on manufacturing such large warships, the navy has also proposed to the government to set up two more public-sector shipyards located on the east and west coast, as its order book for vessels grow.
India, at present, only has the knowhow to manufacture smaller amphibious warships of 4,000 to 6,000 thousand tonne displacement. The navy has three such vessels on deployment but with New Delhi's commitments growing in view of demands for humanitarian assistance at sea, plans have now been cleared to go in for larger ship landing docks.
However, as in the case of aircraft carriers, the navy lacks the design expertise to build such huge warships. In the case of the indigenous carrier being built at Kochi shipyard, the navy has roped in an Italian firm Fincantieri.
In order to build the country's first ever blue water troop carrier, the navy is looking at a number of designs, including American and French.
INS Jalashva, formerly USS Trenton, which the Indian Navy recently acquired from the US navy is an Austin class vessel and New Delhi is looking at its more modern versions like Cleveland or Denver class.
With a 17,000 tonne displacement, Cleveland class Ship landing docks can carry six CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters and 900 marines.
India is also looking very closely at the French landing ship dock Mistral, which is a much larger 21,300 displacement warship with an operational range of 19,800 nautical miles and four huge landing barges, naval sources said here today.
Mistral, which was recently here to participate in the Varuna-2008 Indo-French naval exercises has the capability of carrying 16 helicopters and 900 fully armed marines. French shipbuilders DCN international which is already collaborating with India on building Scorpene submarines under technology transfer at Mazagoan docks has offered to collaborate in building of the Ship Landing Dock.

 

[Sea Toby]

Keep in mind one French Mistral LHD type will cost twice as much as a Dutch Rotterdam LPD/LSD, but you also get twice the sea lift and possibly three times as many helicopters. The Rotterdams I believe costs above 150 million Euros whereas the Mistrals costs over 700 million Euros. Probably more today due to inflation. There is a big difference between $50 million for the old Trenton and a new ship. Of course Indian labor will cut the costs a bit. These amphibious ships are very useful for humanitarian missions and are excellent ships for evacuations.

I knew once the Indian navy had their hands on the old wonderful Trenton, they would want something newer. They are great assets at projecting the army abroad, not to mention their ability for humanitarian missions. And until India can design and build some, more older Trenton types will still be available for the short term as the US Navy discards them for newer ships.