Economic Slowdown and Its Impact on Naval Expansion
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150 The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified Defence and Security Magazine in India DECEMBER 2017 The Only Magazine Available On The Intranet Of The Indian Air Force VOLUME 9 ISSUE 03 ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN AND ITS IMPACT ON NAVAL EXPANSION I nterview with Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM, AVSM, ADC contents An ISO 9001:2015 Certified Magazine Sailing Towards Transformation 04 Pawan Agrawal, CEO & Publisher of DSA Genesis Of Underwater Force Of 09 21st Century Vice Admiral Arun Kumar Singh (Retd) Clear Projects In Pipeline 14 Col KV Kuber (Retd) Indian Naval Submarine Arm’s Golden Jubilee 20 Team DSA Sanctioned Acquisitions On Hold 25 Ranjit B Rai PINAKA: A Glorious Work In Progress 30 Team DSA Current Need Of The Hour 34 Cecil Victor Aviation MRO In The Making 38 Team DSA Brahmastra Of Sorts 44 Diana Mehra December 2017 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT 3 ode to the Indian submarine CONVENTIONAL AND NUKE GENESIS OF UNDERWATER VICE ADMIRAL FORCE ARuN KumAR SINgH PVSM, AVSM, NM (RETD) The writer held important 2-star OF 21ST rank appointments of Flag Officer Submarines, ACNS (Submarines), Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet and after promotion to 3-star rank he served as DG Indian CENTURY Coast Guard, C-in-C Andaman and Nicobar Command and finally FOC-in-C Eastern Naval Command. He retired in 2007. Apart from the all important President’s Colour presentation ceremony, another important function is the seminar on submarine building which will have speakers from India and many submarine building nations. The Indian Navy is today not only a builders navy, but also a nuclear navy, with a potent Submarine Arm, which actively contributes to the nation’s strategic triad deterrence he President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Armed Forces, will present Tthe President’s Colours to the Submarine Arm of the Indian Navy on 8 December 2017 at Vishakapatnam, on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of this silent underwater arm. This will be great occasion for veteran submariners and their families from yesteryears, to meet each other and interact with the youngsters who serve Colours presentation ceremony at the Tula Suvorov Military Academy, Russia December 2017 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT 9 ode to the Indian submarine CONVENTIONAL AND NUKE in conventional and nuclear Shark) at Riga (then part of former launched anti-ship missiles). submarines of today, and also USSR, and now capital of modern In 2008, India’s first home built operate India’s strategic second day Latvia). The INS Kalvari, SSBN (INS Arihant) was launched nuclear strike SSBNs. At the was a Foxtrot (project 641) class and media reports indicated that outset, even though this article submarine, and was later followed it was commissioned in 2016. is a personal nostalgic trip down by seven more ‘Foxtrots’. All these Media reports now indicate that memory lane, I wish to place on venerable submarines rendered the first of six, indigenously record, the great work done by yeomen service and three of them built French Scorpene subs our submarine pioneers who were at sea on patrol (Arabian (INS Kalvari) is expected to be laid very solid foundations for Sea and Bay of Bengal) during commissioned by November- our conventional and nuclear the 1971 Indo-Pak war and all December 2017, while the second submarine force and also have now been decommissioned. indigenously built Scorpene those pioneer designers and Subsequently, commencing (INS Khanderi) has commenced builders involved in building 1986, the Indian Navy inducted sea trials. Media speculation our conventional and nuclear 10 Soviet-Russian Kilo class also abounds about the home built submarines, and (one of these, INS Sindhurakshak, expected launch in November- their associated systems, sub- tragically sank in Mumbai December of India’s second home built nuclear-powered ballistic missile carrying submarine (INS Aridhaman). Transition Years I wrote this article, in early October 2017, as someone who was lucky enough to have been a part of the Indian Submarine Arm since joining in 1971, as the commissioning crew at Riga, Latvia), in 1973, of our fifth Foxtrot sub INS Vela (commanded by Lt Cdr JMS Sodhi, who later retired as Rear Admiral and was involved in the selection and induction of the German systems, weapons and sensors. harbour on 14 August 2013 SSK-submarine or submarine And last but not the least, the due to a massive explosion) and killer subs). Subsequently, I ongoing growth of the largely four German SSK subs (the last was trained in Vladivostok for home built submarine force of the two of these, INS Shalki and 30 months (1983-86) for our twenty first century, would not INS Shankul, were built in India), first leased SSGN (INS Chakra) have been possible without the and between 1988-1991 also and in 1987, I served as Chief vision, foresight and leadership of operated a Soviet Charlie class Staff Officer to our newly created successive Chiefs of Naval Staff. SSGN on a three year lease - first FOSM or Flag Officer SS denotes submarine, the G Submarines (Rear Admiral A First The Foxtrots denotes guided missile and the Auditto) at Vishakapatnam – a History records, that on N denotes that the submarine is great amount of important work 8 December 1967, the Indian nuclear-powered. (the nuclear was done by the FOSM and tricolour was hoisted on our first powered INS Chakra, which his successors with regard to submarine, the INS Kalvari (Tiger carried our first underwater submarine safety, submarine 10 December 2017 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT training, maintenance and (inducted in 2012 as INS Chakra, Korean 209 type submarine, as operating schedules, operational on 10 year lease), induction of part of the then CNS (Admiral readiness inspections etc. Next the Klub tube launched cruise Vishnu Bhagwat) delegation year, in 1988, I was appointed as missiles (both 3M-54E anti-ship visits to Japan and South Korea, the first Captain SM (11) of the and 3M-14E land attack types), and later in December 1997, newly formed 11th Submarine was also involved from Naval I dived in a 500 ton Israeli Squadron) comprising our headquarters in the ATV project submarine for a brief one day first four Kilo class subs at and finally was the author of the sortie in the Mediterranean. Vishakapatnam, followed by government approved ‘30 year In 1998, on an official visit to duties of the newly created submarine building plan’ (which France as ACNS (Submarines), Commodore Submarines (East) or COMSUB (East) which had Visits to the indigenous ATV both the 11th and 8th Submarine Squadrons (comprising Kilo project sites, where...professionals and Foxtrot subs and also from the Indian Navy, DRDO, Public command of the submarine base INS Virbahu at Vishakapatnam and Private Sectors, toiled to build (in 1997, COMSUB was our first SSBN, the INS Arihant re-designated as COMCOS or Commodore Commanding was the brainchild of the then I visited a French Agosta class Submarines). CNS Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat). diesel sub and also a French In between all this, I was Rubis class SSN. In 2005, as a Land-attack Capabilities also fortunate to have visited three star DG Indian Coast, I In 1996, after promotion to submarines and a submarine was invited by the then US Navy 2 star rank, as the first ACNS simulator in 1995 in Germany CNO (Admiral M. Mullen) to visit (Submarines) at NHQ (with as part of the then CNS (Admiral a Los Angeles class SSN, while double hat of Flag Officer V. Shekahawat) delegation. In enroute to participate in the Sea Submarines) I was directly June 1997, I visited a Japanese Power Symposium in US Naval involved in the modernisation Submarine (Sachishio) and a War College. Post retirement, I of our Kilo and SSK subs, Japanese submarine simulator, delivered the keynote speech in induction of the Akula SSN followed by a visit to a South 2009, at the American Annual December 2017 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT 11 ode to the Indian submarine CONVENTIONAL AND NUKE Naval Submarine League us in good stead, when we planned Year Indigenous Conventional Symposium, at Washington. And for the nuclear submarine navy Submarine Plan’ which was now as a 70-year-old veteran, I of the future. I must also place on approved by the Government look forward to attending the record the keen interest shown in 1999 (when Admiral Sushil Submarine Golden Jubilee on our indigenous Advanced Kumar was CNS and received Celebrations at Vishakapatnam his full backing), and also to take (5 to 9 December 2017) and I was directly up the modernisation of the SSK witnessing the President’s and 877 EKM submarines. The Colours presentation ceremony. involved in the induction of Klub 3M-54E, anti modernisation ship TLM missiles in the new Second ‘Chakra’ Lease Kilo class (contract for two new Having been trained extensively of our Kilo Kilos was signed in 1998) was in the former USSR at Vladivostok and SSK subs, due to the backing of the then for over 30 months (Sep 1983 induction of VCNS and CNS. Similarly, the to April 1986) on the Indian later induction of Klub 3M-14E, Navy’s first nuclear submarine, the Akula SSN land attack TLM, was cleared in the Project 670, ‘Charlie Class’ as INS Chakra, 2002, by the then VCNS, who SSGN (later commissioned as INS and induction shortly thereafter became CNS Chakra for a three-year lease from (Admiral Madhvendra Singh). January 1988 to January 1991), of the Klub it was my privilege to be involved, tube launched I recollect, that it was on from ‘day one’ in the induction of New Year eve, 31 December 1997, our Akula Class SSN of Project cruise missiles that I (then as a Rear Admiral 971 (again named INS Chakra, holding the twin hats of Flag Officer which was finally inducted on Technology (ATV) project by Submarines and also Assistant a 10-year lease, wef 2012).