The Indian Submarine Program: Overcoming All Odds

Hello defence lovers! Submarines have become an integral of navies worldwide. Submarines are becoming a symbol of naval might now more than ever. This article discusses the evolution of the Indian Navy's submarine program and what it took to induct these fearsome machines into our naval arsenal. Further, a brief outline of the submarines in service with the Indian Navy today is also discussed. Submarines: A Brief History There have been attempts to develop submarines as early as the 16th century. However, the foundation of modern submarines, as we know them, was laid during the years 1863 to 1904. This led to the extensive use of submarines during the first world war. The Germans used submarines (referred to as U-boats back then) extensively against their enemies in the first and second world wars. Submarines were also deployed in large numbers by the British, the Japanese, and the Americans. Submarine technology has come a long way since then in the 21st century with advances in stealth, safety, propulsion (pumpjet), and endurance (Air independent propulsion - AIP systems). Submarines, Image Source - Marine Insight Indian Submarines The British didn’t consider Indians capable enough to operate submarines and refused to supply the Royal Indian Navy with submarines. The leaders of that era didn’t feel the need for a submarine fleet, hence procuring submarines was out of the question for the Indian Navy (after independence),. The government’s focus at that point in time was agriculture, and hence the armed forces were poorly funded. Out of the three forces, the budget of the Indian navy was the least, and they had to make do with a limited budget. However, the navy was forced to modernize when Pakistan became a part of the CENTO and SEATO treaties and received military assistance from the west. The British were determined to maintain their dominion in the Indian Ocean Region at all costs. Hence the CENTO pact. The navy’s need for submarines was further cemented when they were made aware of the fact that China operated submarines and could operate in the Bay of Bengal. This led to the proposal to form a submarine arm of the Indian Navy in 1959. However, procuring submarines was a daunting task. This was compounded by the fact that the then government didn’t give the navy its due importance and that the United States and the United Kingdom had blatantly refused to sell submarines to India. This made the navy turn to Russia. The then navy admirals rightly identified that an entire ecosystem would have to be set up to operate submarines efficiently and to their full potential. A training facility would be set up for operational and technical training. INS Kursura (Museum), Image Source - Vizag TourismIndian Navy releases stamp to commemorate 50 years of the submarine arm in 2017, Image Source - Twitter After the Sino-Indian war in 1962, the Indian government scrambled to modernize the Indian armed forces. A petition was submitted for the acquisition of three submarines. The British were approached, but after their blatant refusal, a deal with the Russians was inked in 1965. The Russians were more than ready to sell and accepted a part of the payment in Indian rupees. Thus, a long partnership with the Russians was initiated. A deal for four submarines and other supporting ships was signed in September 1965. The first submarine was commissioned in the Indian Navy in December 1967. The first submarine unit was inducted by the end of 1972. Decommissioned Submarines ClassSubmarinesDisplacementCountry of OriginService Charlie I ClassINS Chakra5,000 tonnesSoviet Union (USSR)1987-1991Akula ClassINS Chakra8,140 tonnesRussia2012-2021Kaveri Class (Foxtrot Class)INS KalvariINS KhanderiINS KaranjINS Kursura (Museum)2,475 tonnesSoviet Union (USSR)1967 - 19961968 - 19891969 - 20031969 - 2001Vela Class (Foxtrot Class)INS VelaINS VagirINS VagliINS Vagsheer2,475 tonnesSoviet Union (USSR)1973 - 20101973 - 20011974 - 20101974 - 1997Sindugosh Class (Kilo Class)INS SindhurakshakINS SindhuvirINS Sindhudhvaj3,076 tonnesSoviet Union (USSR) - Russia1997 - 20171988 - 20201987 - 2022 Active Submarines ClassSubmarinesDisplacementCountry of OriginTypeArihant ClassINS ArihantINS Arighat6,000 tonnesIndiaSSBNShishumar Class (Type 209 submarine)INS Shankush INS Shalki INS Shankul1,850 tonnesGermany and IndiaAttack SubmarineSindugosh Class (Kilo Class)INS SindhughoshINS Sindhuraj INS Sindhuratna INS Sindhukesari INS Sindhukirti INS Sindhuvijay INS Sindhurashtra 3,076 tonnesSoviet Union (USSR) - RussiaAttack SubmarineKalvari ClassINS KalvariINS KhanderiINS KaranjINS Vela1,775 tonnesFrance and IndiaAttack Submarine Submarines Under Construction ClassSubmarinesDisplacementCountry of OriginTypeArihant ClassS4 and S4*7,000 tonnesIndiaSSBNKalvari ClassINS VagirINS Vagsheer1,870 tonnesFrance and IndiaAttack Submarine Nuclear Submarines The United States initiated the development of the first nuclear submarines in the year 1939. The first nuclear submarine was deployed in 1951, and it went on to serve in the second world war. The Soviets soon followed suit and inducted their nuclear submarine in 1958. The Indian navy felt the need for nuclear submarines and leased a Soviet Charlie class submarine in 1987. It was then decommissioned in 1991. The leased Russian Akula class submarine INS Chakra 2, named after its predecessor, was decommissioned in 2021. Arihant Class, Image Source - Naval News Arihant Class In an effort to complete India’s Nuclear triad, the then Prime Minister sanctioned the development of a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. These were later christened the Arihant class of submarines. These were the first nuclear-powered submarines to be indigenously designed and developed. NameDisplacementLaunchCommissionedStatusINS Arihant6,000 tonnes20092016In ServiceINS Arighat6,000 tonnes20172022 (Scheduled)Undergoing Advanced Sea TrialsINS Aridhaman (S4)7,000 tonnes2021Estimated 2024Fitting OutS4* (Code name)7,000 tonnes------Estimated 2025Under ConstructionArihant Class Submarines Planned Submarines ClassSubmarinesDisplacementCountry of OriginTypeS5 Class313,500 tonnesIndiaSSBNP75 alpha66,000 tonnesIndiaAttack Submarine (SSN)Akula Class112,770 tonnesRussiaAttack Submarine (SSN)P75-I6unspecifiedIndiaAttack Submarine (Diesel Electric) P76 Submarine Program, Image Source - India Today P75I Submarine Project The P75I submarine project to build 6 SSN's under a foreign partnership model has been stuck in limbo for many years now. This is mainly due to unrealistic expectations and timelines. Many countries had withdrawn from the tender due to the requirement of a sea-proven AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system. This led to a single vendor situation, thus further delaying the project. The need for additional attack submarines is paramount, especially because China has been supplying Pakistan with such systems. In order to counter these platforms, we need submarines of our own. Submarines take years to manufacture and test hence it is of utmost importance that we start building these systems as soon as possible. Submarines v/s Aircraft Carriers The government prefers the acquisition of submarines over aircraft carriers. Even late CDS Bipin Rawat emphasized the need for submarines in comparison to aircraft carriers. This is because an aircraft carrier is a projection of power, whereas submarines are silent killers. Aircraft carriers are always a part of a carrier battle group and are easy to detect. Hence, they can't be deployed secretly. However, submarines are stealthy and can be deployed virtually anywhere. With technological advances, submarines have become even harder to detect, making them invaluable assets. These said aircraft carriers are also required to keep the enemy in check. They act as a deterrence policy. What Next? It is high time that the government examines the Navy's requirements and funds them for the same. India operates 16 submarines of all classes compared to the 66 operated by China in 2020. China expects to operate 76 submarines by 2030. Pakistan operates 5 submarines with 8 on order, this is an alarming trend. The navy receives the least budget of the three armed forces and it is high time this changes. Shipbuilding be it ships or submarines, is an expensive process. If Indian interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) must be protected, then steps must be taken in the right direction. Safeguarding India's maritime interests is of extreme importance for both development and securing the nation at large. Submarines play an important role in this regard and efforts must be taken to fast-track their development and fabrication.