Nuclear Sub Club: Do rising powers like India really need nuclear attack submarines?

YB WEB DESK. Dated: 4/15/2021 12:06:12 PM


New Delhi, Apr 14 India’s plan to build nuclear- powered attack submarines could be bad news for China. A fleet of nuclear attack subs – among the most lethal weapons on Earth – prowling the Indian Ocean could threaten Beijing’s growing naval presence in the region. Or, a fleet of nuclear subs could be a boondoggle that drains India’s limited military resources. Even some Indian experts believe the Indian Navy would be better off buying cheaper dieselelectric subs more suitable for missions such as coastal defence. All of which raises a question for emerging powers such as India, which has the seventh-largest economy on the planet. Are the prestige and capabilities of nuclear subs worth the cost? For now, the nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi favours the nuclear option. Within the next two months, the government is likely to approve a plan to build three nuclearpowered attack subs, followed by another three later on, according to the Times of India. “The overall project is for the construction of six nuclear-powered attack submarines (called SSNs in naval parlance), each weighing over 6,000 tons, at the ship-building centre (SBC) at Vizag,” the Times reported. “But only three will be approved by the CCS [Cabinet Committee on Security] in the first go, with the first indigenous SSN slated to roll out by around 2032 or so. Though each will cost around Rs 15,000 crore [US$2.3 billion], the funding will not be a major problem because it will be spread over several years, said the sources.” This marks a radical departure from India’s 1999 sub-building plan, which called for construction of 24 diesel subs over 30 years. The Indian Navy currently operates 11 older diesel subs – Russian Kilo-class and German Type 209 boats – plus three newer French Scorpene- class 1,870-ton attack boats. However, the Modi governm e n t a p - pears to be revising the 1999 plan to include a mix of six nuclear attack subs and 18 diesel-electric boats. The Indian Navy currently operates a single SSN, the INS Chakra – which is actually a Russian Akula-class attack sub on a 10-year lease. India previously leased a Soviet Charlie-class nuclear sub in the late 1980s, and in 2019, India signed a 21,000 crore (US$3 billion) deal to lease a more advanced Akula-class boat. In addition to attack subs, India already has one nuclear- powered ballistic submarine (SSBN), the INS Arihant, in service, with a second SSBN – the Arighat – scheduled to be commissioned in 2021. Armed with K-15 missiles with a 500-mile range, these boats are part of India’s strategic triad of land-based ballistic missiles and nuc l e a r - a r m e d f i g h t e r bombers, aimed at India’s nuclear-armed rivals Pakistan and China. There are also plans to build two 7,000-ton SSBNs. In addition, “an even bigger 13,500-ton SSBN is also being planned, while the new K-4 missiles, with a strike range of 3,500 kilometres [2,174 miles], are now virtually ready,” the Times said. Though smaller than the 18,750- ton U.S. Ohio-class ballistic missile subs, the new vessel would dwarf India’s current submarines. The new sub plan comes as China expands its presence in the Indian Ocean, including survey ships mapping the region, a naval base at Djibouti, and Beijing’s push for another base in the Maldives. This has left Indian defence planners – already confronting Chinese troops on India’s northern border – with a Chinese threat in India’s maritime backyard.

 

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