indian navy

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PHOTOS: First Ever India-China Naval Exercise

On completion of the four day visit to Shanghai, INS Shivalik and PLA(N) Ma'anshan conducted passage exercises comprising naval manouevers, communication exercises and cross deck helicopter landings.

Strengthening its combat support capabilities, Indian Navy will induct its second Italy-made fleet tanker, INS Shakti, in Vishakhapatnam on October 1.

INS Shakti, the second of the Deepak Class fleet tanker constructed by Italian Fincantieri Shipyard, will be handed over to the Navy on Friday and will be commissioned in operational service on October 1, Navy officials said here.

The first tanker christened INS Deepak was commissioned into the Navy in Mumbai on January 21 this year.

INS Shakti will be the second fleet tanker to be inducted into the Eastern fleet and will help in strengthening combat support operations at sea and extend the reach of the naval power of the nation.

With the induction of the warship, the Navy will have two each fleet tankers on both the seaboards.

Though INS Shakti is essentially a tanker, it is a thoughtfully-designed and versatile platform capable of a large number of roles. In addition to its traditional role of supplying fuel to ships at sea, the ship is also capable of transporting and supplying ammunitions, materials and provisions.

The vessel is also capable of undertaking humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations with its modern medical health facilities.

The ship is one of the largest vessels of the navy, 175 metres long, 25 metres wide and has a full load displacement of 27,000 tonnes.

The two Deepak class fleet tankers will be the mainstay tankers/ support ships of the Indian Navy in the first half of the 21st century.

Each ship is equipped with four AK-630 guns for close defence supplies and high-tech fire control system supplied by Bharat Electronics Limited.

General characteristics
Class and type:	Deepak-class tanker
Displacement:	19150 tons(light condition), 27,000 tons ( Maximum)
Length:	175 m
Beam:	25 m
Draft:	9.1 m ( Max )
Depth:	19.3 m
Decks:	10
Installed power:	9.3 MW
Propulsion:	Diesel Engines ( 02 ) from MAN and one CPP
Speed:	20 knots
Endurance:	10000 nm at 20 knots
Complement:	180 sailors and 20 officers

Boeing is close to conducting the first flight of a 737-800-based P-8I maritime patrol aircraft for the Indian navy, with it's first example having emerged at the manufacturer’s Renton Field assembly site in Washington.

Photographed by AirSpace user Brandon Farris earlier this month, the aircraft has already been painted in Indian markings and assigned the registration IN320. It is the first of eight P-8Is on order as replacements for the navy’s current Tupolev Tu-142 turboprops. The aircraft was last pictured as it entered final assembly in June.

Derived from the P-8A Poseidon now in development testing for the US Navy, India’s next-generation maritime surveillance aircraft will enter use from early 2013.

India’s examples will differ from the USN’s aircraft through the addition of a belly-mounted radar, which once combined with other sensors will afford the aircraft a 360° surveillance capability against airborne targets.
Another key piece of equipment for the P-8I will be its Raytheon Mk54 lightweight torpedoes. New Delhi signed an $86 million deal in June for an initial 32 of the weapons.

Boeing performed the first flight of a production P-8A for the USN from Renton Field in July. India is the first and so for lone export buyer for the 737 derivative. Test and acceptance activities will be performed from Boeing’s Seattle Field site in Washington.

Work on Indian Navy's aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya is 85 per cent complete and it is set to enter the sea next month for trials.

A high level Indian Navy delegation led by Vice Admiral Niranjan Kumar, which visited Russia’s Sevmash shipyard to inspect the refurbishing work on the naval vessel, has “expressed satisfaction”, the shipyard said.

“The readiness of the ship is already more than 85 percent,” Kumar said, expressing hope that the Russian shipyard would complete the remaining work so that the ship could be commissioned in December 2012.

President of JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation Roman Trotsenko assured that the final stage of modernisation will be conducted with “great care” and with attention to quality.

“Today, the works are on schedule... I am sure that in December 2012, the ship will be delivered to the customer,” the Russian official said.

The Russian craft, named Admiral Gorshkov, which India is buying at a cost of around $2.33 billion, began mooring trials in March this year.

The 45,000-tonne warship is expected to be commissioned in the Indian Navy by 2012 or early 2013 and will be rechristened as INS Vikramaditya.

Meanwhile, a team of Indian Navy personnel which was in St. Petersburg, Russia has completed a six-month training on the refurbished vessel. The first group of 152 sailors and officers had begun their training in April.

A second batch of personnel would arrive in Russia next month to receive training, the shipyard said, adding that more than 1000 crew members will be trained by 2012.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report slammed the Ministry of Defence and the Navy for buying war planes that do not have weapons. It also pointed a finger at the Indian Air Force (IAF) for having ‘let off’ three of its officers who caused a loss of Rs 302 crore when a sensitive aerostat radar got damaged.

The CAG, in its report tabled in both Houses of Parliament, said the Indian Navy followed a flawed approach in acquiring its fighter aircraft fleet by not finalising the associated weapon package. The CAG said that 11 out of 16 MiG 29K aircraft, acquired at a cost of $740.35 million (Rs 3,405.61 crore), been delivered in December 2009 and May 2011. No matching armament, for which a contract was signed in March 2006, has been delivered as on October 2010, thereby adversely affecting the operational capabilities of the aircraft.

Further, the Navy has selected a ‘beyond visual range’ (BVR) missile with an unsatisfactory track record. Lastly, the complete armament package finalised for the aircraft contains certain ammunition, worth $20.98 million (Rs 93.68 crore) which did not have the approval of the competent authority.

The MiG 29K is a deck-based fighter meant for seaborne aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (Admiral Gorshkov). At present, the fighters are based at a land base in Goa as the aircraft carrier itself has not arrived.

The agreement was signed under an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between India and Russia in October 2000 for the procurement of an aircraft carrier along with the MiGs for onboard operations. The Ministry of Defence in January 2004 concluded a contract with Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC-MIG) for procurement of the MiG 29K aircraft. The weapons package was postponed and de-linked from the negotiations for the aircraft.

MOSCOW (PTI): Russia has commenced sea trials of the India Navy’s first of the three advanced stealth frigates in the Baltic Sea which will be delivered by early next year.

INS ‘Teg’, the Project 11356 class frigate, also known as Talwar Class, is first of the three guided missile frigates ordered by the Indian Navy in 2006 under a USD 1.5 billion deal with Russia.

India Navy already operates three such class of stealth frigates and had ordered three more to bolster its fleet.

The two other warships of the same class – INS ‘Tarkash’ (Quiver) and INS ‘Trikand’ (Bow) – are at various stages of construction at the Yantar naval shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

The Teg is expected to be delivered to the Indian Navy in the beginning of 2012 to be followed by the Tarkash in the same year and finally the ‘Trikand’ in 2013, according to Yantar shipbuilder.

Initially, Russia was to deliver the three frigates by the end of this year, but due to lack of qualified workforce and problem of networking with sub-vendors the deliveries were delayed.

Earlier in the last decade, Russia’s another Baltiisky Zavod shipyard in St Petersburg had built first three of the stealth frigates – INS Talwar, INS Trishul and INS Tabar.

The new frigates will be armed with the deadly BRAHMOS supersonic cruise missiles, capable of destroying enemy ships and land targets.

India detected a Chinese spy ship disguised as a fishing trawler in the Indian Ocean a few months ago. By the time the ship figured on Indian radars, it had operated already for about 22 days and was positioned off-the cost of Little Anadaman - an area which is considered sensitive and crucial in the ongoing battle for supremacy over the Indian Ocean region between India and China.

Immediately after detection, an Indian Navy Ship was sent after it. However, since the Chinese ship was in international waters, no punitive action could be taken against it. The Indian Naval ship, instead, tailed the Chinese ship sending out a clear message that India was aware of its actual mission. In order to avoid the Indian Navy tail, the Chinese Ship moved towards Sri Lanka and docked at the Colombo. Inquiries by the Indian security agencies revealed that ship as many as 22 Laboratories on board.

A report sent up to government, which NDTV has access to, claims that the Chinese ship was mapping the Indian Ocean and picking up crucial Bathymetric data. Other Laboratories on board the ship were designed to collect data on the currents of the Indian Ocean, the temperature at various depths and also very crucially, underwater obstructions and obstacles. Bathymetric data is crucial for submarine and Carrier based operations. Information about ocean currents, on the other hand, is crucial if torpedoes are to be used.

India's assessment is that China will be able to carry out Aircraft carrier based operations by 2017. China doesn't have an operational aircraft carrier yet. The collection of data from the Indian Ocean is designed towards this. Once the Chinese Carrier Battle Group is ready for operations the Indian Ocean region will be one of the main focus areas of China. This will not only help China secure the shipping lanes that carry it's exports towards Europe and North America but protect oil and coal imports. However, the presence of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean region cannot be altogether benign for India. In fact the presence of a Carrier Battle Group in Indian Ocean region is a serious military threat for India. Chinese ground forces already have an edge over their Indian counterparts along the land borders. Chinese naval presence in Indian Ocean region is, therefore, a cause of serious concern for India.

What is also worrying Indian security agencies is the presence several Chinese fishing trawlers along Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast during test launches of missiles. All Indian missiles are tested from Wheeler Islands. Security agencies have told the government that fishing trawlers are most likely monitoring the Indian missile test launches and colleting telemetric data of the missile. Telemetric data is crucial to build effective counter measure against missiles.

Construction of India’s second nuclear submarine has begun at a classified facility in Visakhapatnam, a newspaper reported on Sunday.

This project was launched just 24 months after India’s first nuclear submarine INS Arihant was commissioned.

“The second programme took far lesser time than Arihant to reach the shipyard from the drawing board. This time we had a clear plan and we had learned a lot from our mistakes,” top sources told the daily.

Though exact details of the submarine’s progress have not been made public yet, it is learnt that fabrication of the hull and body has begun. The reactor is being constructed with Russia’s help.

The project is expected to be ready for sea trials by 2015. By that time India would have a Russian submarine and INS Arihant deployed.

The Akula-II class nuclear submarine K-152 Nerpa, to be renamed INS Chakra, will be handed over to Indian Navy by Russian Navy in November-December on a 10-year lease.

Arihant class submarine at a glance

General characteristics
Name:	Arihant (अरिहंत:)
Builders:	Shipbuilding Centre (SBC),Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh
Operators:	Indian Navy
Succeeded by:	Arihant follow-on submarine
In commission:	2011- (est.)
Building:	5
Planned:	5^[1]
Type:	Ballistic missile submarine
Displacement:	6,000 tons^[2]
Length:	112 m (367 ft)^[2]
Beam:	15 m (49 ft) (Est.)
Draft:	10 m (33 ft) (Est.)
Propulsion:	85MW PWR using 40% enriched uranium fuel; 1 turbine (47,000hp/70MW); 1 shaft; 1 7-bladed, high-skew propeller
Speed:	12–15 knots (22–28 km/h) (surfaced); 24 knots (44 km/h) (submerged)
Range:	unlimited except by food supplies
Test depth:	300 m (980 ft) (est)
Complement:	95
Sensors and processing systems:	USHUS Sonar
Armament:	Torpedoes: 6 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes - est. 30 charges (torpedoes, missiles or mines)^[3] SLBM - 4 launch tubes (each with 2.4 meter diameter)^[4] 12 x K15 SLBM (3 in each launch tube) or 4 x K-4^[5] SLBM (Under development)

Ships in class

Name	Pennant	Builder	Launch	Commissioning	Status
INS Arihant	S73	Shipbuilding Centre Vishakapatnam	26 July 2009	2012^[49]	Sea trial^[50]
INS Arhidaman ^[51]		Shipbuilding Centre Vishakapatnam and porbainder			Under construction
Unknown		Shipbuilding Centre Vishakapatnam			Under construction
Unknown		Shipbuilding Centre Vishakapatnam

Russia will complete the delivery of 16 carrier-borne MiG-29K/KUB fighters to the Indian Navy by the end of this year for deployment on the refurbished Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, a top official of the aircraft manufacturer said Wednesday.

A top official of the Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG said that 11 fighters had already been delivered under the first contract, and the deliveries of jets of the second series will begin from next year.

"From the first contract for 16 jets which included 12 single seater MiG-29K and two double seater trainer-cum -fighter MiG-29KUB, we have already delivered 11 fighters, including 9 single seater and 2 double seater jets to the Indian Navy," CEO of RAC MiG Sergei Korotkov said.

Talking to a group of reporters at the MiG plant here Korotkov said that under the second USD 1.5 billion contract signed in March 2010 for the supply of 29 MiG-29K/KUB naval fighters, the first aircraft was laid on the assembly line on Tuesday in the presence of a senior Indian representative.

He said the deliveries of the jets of the second series will begin from the next year and could be completed by the time of delivery of INS Vikramaditya to the Indian Navy.

Korotkov said he was not discouraged by the loss of his MiG-35 fighter jet in the IAF's global tender for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA).

He said that a new contract for the supply of 24 more naval MiG-29K fighters is expected to be signed soon with India.

"It is quite possible that it could be signed on the sidelines of the 10th International Aerospace Salon (MAKS) scheduled here later this month," Korotkov said, adding "at least we have passed on all necessary papers to the Defence Ministry for approval.
Working on parallel contract with India, RAC MiG has 'deeply modernised' six MiG-29 fighters in service with IAF at its plants in Russia, later the technology for their upgradation will be transferred to India for refurbishing the rest of the IAF's MiG-29 fleet to MiG-29UPG.

In response to a question about the crash of a twin-seater MiG-29KUB naval fighter in Astrakhan region in June, the MiG officials said it was not for the delivery to the Indian Navy.

MiG Chief Korotkov said his corporation is developing a carrier-based fighter for the Russian Navy, on the basis of MiG-29K for India, which will also have French navigation systems, but would be adapted to use longer range Russian air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons, export of which is banned.

Russia will transfer the Akula-II class ‘Nerpa' nuclear attack submarine to India on a 10-year lease by the end of 2011, Russian Naval Chief Vladimir Vysotsky has said.

“There are no obstacles for the transfer of the submarine to the Indian Navy by the end of this year,” Admiral Vysotsky was quoted as saying by Interfax. He said the Indian crew had undergone the full course of training and the submarine was being prepared for delivery trials.

Under the lease contract, estimated to be between $650 million and $900 million, India had funded the completion of the Nerpa nuclear submarine at Amur Shipyard before the Soviet collapse.

The Nerpa was to be inducted into the Indian Navy like INS Chakra by mid-2008 but on November 8, 2008, shortly after the sea trials commenced, as many as 20 sailors and technical workers were killed onboard, while they were asleep, due to the release of toxic Freon gas following a technical problem in the automatic fire suppression system.

New Delhi: The construction of India's first indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) at Cochin is expected to be completed in December this year, after which the warship will be launched, Defence Minister AK Antony said Tuesday.

Antony, in a written reply to questions in the Lok Sabha, said the Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) had completed 75 percent of the hull work on the IAC, which is also known as the Air Defence Ship.

"Regarding the Air Defence Ship being constructed at CSL, 75 percent of hull work has been completed and is expected to be launched in December 2011, after which further works will be undertaken prior to commissioning," Antony said.

He said the augmentation of infrastructure at CSL was in progress and Indian-made hull quality steel was now available that will reduce the country's dependence on foreign sources.

"With the infrastructure and experience, indigenous aircraft carrier-sized ships can be built at CSL. Additionally, Indian-manufactures warship quality steel is now available, which will reduce dependence on foreign countries," he said.

Declaring India's intention of having at least two carrier task forces with aircraft carrier warships as the pivot of such battle groups, Antony said the country should be capable of deploying them on two locations soon.

"To maintain effective presence in our area of interest, Indian Navy should be capable of deploying carrier task forces in two geographically separated locations," he said.

The navy already operates the Centaur-class INS Viraat aircraft carrier. The refit and modernisation works on board the INS Vikramaditya, formerly Russian Navy aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, are progressing in an earnest manner, the minister said.

"Consequent to signing of supplementary agreements in March 2010, the Russian side has increased the manpower and material resources considerably for the (Vikramaditya) project. A majority of the equipment and systems have been installed on board the ship. The delivery of the ship is scheduled in December 2012," he added.

India is in the middle of a multi-billion dollar military spending spree that has quietly seen the country of Mahatma Gandhi and non-violent protest emerge as the world’s largest importer of arms. It is expected to retain that position for at least the next five years.

As the country works to expand its regional strategic influence and to counter what it considers existential threats from Pakistan and China, India now accounts for nine per cent of all global arms purchases. Its current defence budget of $36bn – an increase of around 11 per cent on the previous year – is more than double what it spends on education and health combined.

Over the past five years, more than 80 per cent of India’s defence purchases have come from Russia. But the splurge has seen defence contractors from around the world taking up long-term residency in Delhi’s five-star hotels, vying to fulfill demands from all three wings of the armed services. Recent purchases have included 155mm howitzers from the UK for the army, C-17 Globemaster heavy-lift planes from the US for the air force and submarines from France for the navy.

One of the most sought-after contracts concerns a $11bn order for 126 fighter aircraft. The Indian authorities have whittled a short-list down to just two contenders, the Typhoon produced by Eurofighter, a consortium made up of British, German, Italian and Spanish manufacturers, and the Rafale, produced by the French company Dassault.

Analysts say India’s spending spree is driven by several factors, including – with the exception of shipbuilding - an inadequate domestic defence production capacity. Strategically, it is driven by both defensive concerns, particularly in regard to what is considers Chinese growing ambitions in south Asia, and a desire to project power and influence regionally. Its spending on arms leapt after the Mumbai attacks of November 2008.

India’s top brass, remindful of the embarrassing drubbing it received in 1962 at the hands of the Chinese, is deeply suspicious of China’s relationship with Pakistan. It is also sensitive about Beijing’s ongoing claims over territory in both Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh and its road-building projects in those areas. Belatedly India has begun looking to improve its own infrastructure in these remote areas.

India’s defence budget only equals two per cent of GDP and in terms of total military spending Delhi is in 10th place, behind not only the US and China, but Britain, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Many within the military establishment believe India should increase its defence spending even more, to around three per cent of GDP.

Yet some analysts and industry insiders detect an uncertainty within the broader Indian establishment about what role it should play. While India might purport to take on a larger regional position, as evidenced by moves such as a recent defence agreement signed with the Maldives, there remains an apparent reluctance to take on greater responsibility.There are also strong voices within India who argue that in a country where hundreds of millions of people are living in poverty, there are more pressing spending priorities.