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New
Delhi, 07 April 2005
The
Indian Navy has impressive expansion plans. Besides
the ATV and the media reported lease of one Akula
class submarine by 2007–8, the Indian Navy has
over 19 ships on order. These include:
At
Mazagon Dock Ltd:
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3
Type 17, 4900 ton Shivalik class stealth
frigates (two already launched) which is an
upgraded hybrid home design of the Brahmaputra
and Krivak class with Brahmos vertical launch
missiles
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3
Type 15A, 6700 ton Bangalore class Destroyers
–– an improved version of the Delhi class
also with vertical launch Brahmos missiles, aft
of the bridge superstructure. DRDO and Larsen
and Tubro Ltd had jointly designed the vertical
missile launch system.
At
GSRE:
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3
LST (L) Magar class,
-
3
or 4, 2500 ton ASW Corvettes based on the
missile corvette designs
-
3
Fast Attack Craft
-
3
Patrol vessels out of a total of nine offshore
patrol vessels that the Navy will finally induct
The
Government had also sanctioned 11 Dornier 228
aircraft for maritime surveillance at a cost of
$180m as a stopgap arrangement, though the US offer
to sell PC-3 Orions to India is under consideration.
The Indian Navy will also purchase a C-303
submarine-fired torpedo decoy system from Italy and
manufacture eight more in India, having inducted new
Italian chariots for its marine Commandoes. It will
upgrade 14 British Sea Harriers, fitting these with
the latest air-to-air Derby missiles from Israeli
firm Rafael, combat manoeuvring flight recorders,
new Elta EL/M 20032 radars to replace the Blue Fox
and digital cockpit voice recorders at Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd at a cost of $105m.
The
Government also recently sanctioned the indigenous
construction of the Air Defence Ship, with provision
for over 355 designers and 200 inspectors and in a
place like Kochi it will be difficult to find this
manpower. The Indian Navy faces a shortage of
civilian manpower and finds it difficult to run its
establishments, particularly the workshops for
maintenance of warships and equipment.
The Navy is
also poised to commission its new naval base at
Karwar with a modern Syncrolift, which is considered
one of the most modern naval bases in the world. The
Navy has told the Government that it would not be
able to operate the facility for want of adequate
civilian staff –– according to the Flag Officer
Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, Vice
Admiral Madanjit Singh. Admiral Singh was talking to
reporters on board the aircraft carrier, INS Viraat,
after a demonstration exercise of the Western Fleet.
He said there was a 31 per cent shortage of civilian
manpower. The Karwar naval base was scheduled for
commissioning in May 2006 and immediate sanctions of
manpower were needed.
The
Navy had plans to hold the National Fleet Review in
February 2006. The President would preside over the
event. Besides the warships of the Navy and Coast
Guard vessels, merchant ships, oil exploration
platforms, fishing vessels of the Indian companies
and research vessels would participate in the
Review.
Admiral Singh said that the proposal for
acquiring and building the French Scorpene
submarines, had been sent to the Cabinet Committee
on Security for approval. These submarines would be
built at Mazagon Docks.
Admiral Singh said that the
Russian Amur submarines were also being considered
because the Navy was interested in having two types
of submarines. It now has three types of submarines
in its inventory — Russian Kilo and Foxtrot and
German HDW hunter-killers. But several of them
needed to be replaced. The Navy had funded building
of the naval variant of the LCA and expected it to
take off in three to four years.
The
Navy has ambitious plans but the order process has
been slow for some reasons and it was seen that the
proposed Naval Budget was only one third of the Air
Force budget for 2005-6 as the IAF has also
committed a lot.
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