Indian Nuclear Attack Submarine (Project 77) - Updates & Discussions

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Boost for Navy: India set to lease third Akula-class nuclear attack submarine from Russia

By Srinjoy Chowdhury
Updated Dec 10, 2019 | 12:46 IST
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India already has one nuclear-powered submarine, the Chakra, leased from Russia. India is also expected to lease a second submarine of the Akula-class but an official announcement has not been made yet.

India and Russia have begun discussions for the lease of a third Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Discussions are at a very preliminary stage but India is aware of the "submarine gap" in the 2020s, particularly in the later years. One possibility is to lease another Akula-class submarine from Russia.

India already has one nuclear-powered submarine, the Chakra, leased from Russia. It came in 2012. India is also expected to lease a second submarine of the Akula-class but an official announcement has not been made yet.

Highly-placed sources confirmed that discussions have begun for a third, keeping in mind the projected shortage of submarines. By the late 2020s, the nine Russian-built Sindhughosh class submarines would be about 40 years old and on their last legs, despite their refit, happening now. That would only leave the four HDW Germany-designed submarines, which are just as old and hopefully, the six Scorpene submarines -- and most of them are yet to join service.

The six Scorpenes apart, there would be two Akula-class nuclear powered-submarines (though one could go back) and perhaps, two nuclear-powered submarines of the Arihant class. The latter has a totally different purpose. A total of 14 submarines in the late 2020s would be fewer than what the Indian Navy has now and the gap, considering the growing strength of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy and its likely presence in the Indian Ocean by then, would be worrying.

One problem will be the budget. Navy Chief Admiral Karambir Singh has already spoken of the Navy's share of the budget coming down.

The discussions for a third submarine, are dependent on several issues: what India can produce in its own shipyards; whether the six Scorpenes are ready by then; and whether the long-awaited decision for a second line (perhaps, through a strategic partnership) is taken and the work takes off.

The first nuclear-powered submarine leased from Moscow was in 1987. It was called the Chakra and was returned a few years later. Nuclear-powered submarines, keeping in mind international laws, are leased, not purchased. More recently, in April 2012, an Akula-class submarine was inducted into the Indian Navy. All nuclear-powered submarines from Russia are on lease.

Boost for Navy: India set to lease third Akula-class nuclear attack submarine from Russia
 
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India’s Rs 1.2 lakh crore nuclear submarine project closer to realisation
India is taking a crucial step for its Rs 1.2 lakh crore project to produce future nuclear-powered submarines, with top levels of the government processing clearances for the detailed design phase.

The plan to build six advanced attack submarines — to be nuclear powered but armed with conventional missiles and torpedoes — is being monitored closely and the first of the boats could roll out in a decade if things go as per plan.

Sources told ET that the initial design phase for the new boats has progressed successfully and more resources will now be deployed to move to the more complex detailed design and construction — to be undertaken by the Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group) with assistance from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
sda

The timing of the critical clearances coincides with the pace of current work at the Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam, where the Arihant class of nucleararmed submarines are being built. Major structural work on the fourth of the class is nearing completion and the centre would be able to take on work for the next generation of vessels as early as next year, if need be. Though this is unlikely as the developmental phase will take longer.

Sources said the second of the Arihant class — the slightly bigger and better-armed INS Arighat — is expected to be commissioned this year, adding teeth to India’s nuclear deterrence. Two follow-on boats after that are likely to enter service before 2024.

This would leave SBC with adequate space and resources to commence building the next generation of nuclear-attack submarines. While the Arihant project took over two decades to fructify, the next generation submarines are likely to progress at half the given time as adequate experience is now available, both in terms of design and construction of nuclear submarines.

As reported by ET, work on the submarine project gained pace last year with a defence public sector unit working on a special metal alloy for the hull and testing of a scale model as part of the design process. The plan to build six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) kicked off in 2015 when the NDA government gave a go ahead to a long-pending project for the Indian Navy.

India and Russia have also signed a $3 billion deal to lease an advanced nuclear attack submarine that will be fitted with indigenous communication systems and sensors. This submarine will fill in the gap and will be used for crew training before the indigenous boats are pressed into service.

Nuclear attack submarines — powered by a nuclear reactor but armed with conventional weapons — will give India a significant strike and area denial capability in the region. These vessels can remain underwater for months, making them almost impossible to detect and are a big deterrence for enemy vessels. The US Navy operates over 55 nuclear attack submarines. China has at least 10 in service and is rapidly expanding the fleet, including deployments in the Indian Ocean and several port calls to neighbouring nations.

The project will enter India to a select league of five nations that have such a capability. The last country to enter this club was China in 1974 with its Han class boats. Details are not known but a new, more powerful nuclear reactor is being designed for the programme as well by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The INS Arihant and Chakra (on lease from Russia) are the two nuclear-powered submarines currently in service with the navy.
India’s Rs 1.2 lakh crore nuclear submarine project closer to realisation
 
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RISING SUN said:
India’s Rs 1.2 lakh crore nuclear submarine project closer to realisation
India is taking a crucial step for its Rs 1.2 lakh crore project to produce future nuclear-powered submarines, with top levels of the government processing clearances for the detailed design phase.

The plan to build six advanced attack submarines — to be nuclear powered but armed with conventional missiles and torpedoes — is being monitored closely and the first of the boats could roll out in a decade if things go as per plan.

Sources told ET that the initial design phase for the new boats has progressed successfully and more resources will now be deployed to move to the more complex detailed design and construction — to be undertaken by the Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group) with assistance from the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
sda

The timing of the critical clearances coincides with the pace of current work at the Ship Building Centre (SBC) in Visakhapatnam, where the Arihant class of nucleararmed submarines are being built. Major structural work on the fourth of the class is nearing completion and the centre would be able to take on work for the next generation of vessels as early as next year, if need be. Though this is unlikely as the developmental phase will take longer.

Sources said the second of the Arihant class — the slightly bigger and better-armed INS Arighat — is expected to be commissioned this year, adding teeth to India’s nuclear deterrence. Two follow-on boats after that are likely to enter service before 2024.

This would leave SBC with adequate space and resources to commence building the next generation of nuclear-attack submarines. While the Arihant project took over two decades to fructify, the next generation submarines are likely to progress at half the given time as adequate experience is now available, both in terms of design and construction of nuclear submarines.

As reported by ET, work on the submarine project gained pace last year with a defence public sector unit working on a special metal alloy for the hull and testing of a scale model as part of the design process. The plan to build six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) kicked off in 2015 when the NDA government gave a go ahead to a long-pending project for the Indian Navy.

India and Russia have also signed a $3 billion deal to lease an advanced nuclear attack submarine that will be fitted with indigenous communication systems and sensors. This submarine will fill in the gap and will be used for crew training before the indigenous boats are pressed into service.

Nuclear attack submarines — powered by a nuclear reactor but armed with conventional weapons — will give India a significant strike and area denial capability in the region. These vessels can remain underwater for months, making them almost impossible to detect and are a big deterrence for enemy vessels. The US Navy operates over 55 nuclear attack submarines. China has at least 10 in service and is rapidly expanding the fleet, including deployments in the Indian Ocean and several port calls to neighbouring nations.

The project will enter India to a select league of five nations that have such a capability. The last country to enter this club was China in 1974 with its Han class boats. Details are not known but a new, more powerful nuclear reactor is being designed for the programme as well by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. The INS Arihant and Chakra (on lease from Russia) are the two nuclear-powered submarines currently in service with the navy.
India’s Rs 1.2 lakh crore nuclear submarine project closer to realisation
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SSN building only starts by 2023-24. Expecting by then S4* will be in waters.
 
Ashwin said:
SSN building only starts by 2023-24. Expecting by then S4* will be in waters.
Click to expand...
What's the connection? Weren't the hulls for the SSN going to be fabricated by L&T? Or was it the other way around wrt SSBN's? Besides, wasn't the SBC Vizag equipped to produce 2 lines? In which case, what happens to the S-5 class of SSBN's going by your statement? Would that commence after all the SSNs have been launched? Somewhere in the late 2030's ?
 
_Anonymous_ said:
What's the connection? Weren't the hulls for the SSN going to be fabricated by L&T? Or was it the other way around wrt SSBN's? Besides, wasn't the SBC Vizag equipped to produce 2 lines? In which case, what happens to the S-5 class of SSBN's going by your statement? Would that commence after all the SSNs have been launched? Somewhere in the late 2030's ?
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S-5 class will have a new dockyard. So I suppose the SSNs will be built in Arihant's dockyard.
 
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randomradio said:
S-5 class will have a new dockyard. So I suppose the SSNs will be built in Arihant's dockyard.
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SBC will be undertaking both projects - SSN as well as S5? In which case what about news that the hulls of S2 & other Arihant class Subs were fabricated at L&T Hazira? I would've thought L&T ought to be more closely involved in at least production of the SSNs.
 
_Anonymous_ said:
SBC will be undertaking both projects - SSN as well as S5? In which case what about news that the hulls of S2 & other Arihant class Subs were fabricated at L&T Hazira? I would've thought L&T ought to be more closely involved in at least production of the SSNs.
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L&T fabricates the hull, but the assembly happens in HSL. It should be the same for the SSNs as well.

Hull fabrication doesn't happen in a drydock though.
 
randomradio said:
L&T fabricates the hull, but the assembly happens in HSL. It should be the same for the SSNs as well.

Hull fabrication doesn't happen in a drydock though.
Click to expand...
I don't think Hazira is a dry dock. How do these hulls get transferred to Vizag? Plus if what you're saying is true we should get the entire lot of SSNs within 10 years i.e - commissioned at sea.
 
_Anonymous_ said:
I don't think Hazira is a dry dock. How do these hulls get transferred to Vizag? Plus if what you're saying is true we should get the entire lot of SSNs within 10 years i.e - commissioned at sea.
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I think hulls get shipped from Hazira after completion. Just a guess though.
 
_Anonymous_ said:
I don't think Hazira is a dry dock. How do these hulls get transferred to Vizag? Plus if what you're saying is true we should get the entire lot of SSNs within 10 years i.e - commissioned at sea.
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The hulls are shipped.

If a proper supply line is set up and enough workforce is engaged, along with enough orders, a sub can be delivered every 1-1.5 years from the same line. But our goal is likely to be 3 years per sub.

Only the first sub takes time. If we start construction in 2023, the first sub may take 10 years to deliver, then 3 years per sub after that. So 25 years to commission all 6 subs from the time construction begins. So we will have all 6 subs by 2048-50, without delays.

The only way to build subs quickly is if we order a lot of subs from multiple lines.
 
randomradio said:
The hulls are shipped.

If a proper supply line is set up and enough workforce is engaged, along with enough orders, a sub can be delivered every 1-1.5 years from the same line. But our goal is likely to be 3 years per sub.

Only the first sub takes time. If we start construction in 2023, the first sub may take 10 years to deliver, then 3 years per sub after that. So 25 years to commission all 6 subs from the time construction begins. So we will have all 6 subs by 2048-50, without delays.

The only way to build subs quickly is if we order a lot of subs from multiple lines.
Click to expand...
The timelines you're suggesting is similar to the Arihant timelines whereas the article above says we'd take half the time. I assume the entire lot of SSNs would take 15 years from construction to commissioning i.e 2035-40 timelines.
 
_Anonymous_ said:
The timelines you're suggesting is similar to the Arihant timelines whereas the article above says we'd take half the time. I assume the entire lot of SSNs would take 15 years from construction to commissioning i.e 2035-40 timelines.
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15 years is the quickest possible.

7-10 years for the first sub and the the next 5 subs every year after. But I don't think we are going to get that lucky.
 
randomradio said:
15 years is the quickest possible.

7-10 years for the first sub and the the next 5 subs every year after. But I don't think we are going to get that lucky.
Click to expand...
If we don't get those boats by 2035-40 timelines, it means we've learnt nothing building those Arihant class subs.
 
_Anonymous_ said:
If we don't get those boats by 2035-40 timelines, it means we've learnt nothing building those Arihant class subs.
Click to expand...

A 25-year delivery cycle is normal for a project of this size and scale. It's pretty much the same amount of time the British and French take.
 
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