According to a blog run By Pete Coates, his views are like this
Following Russia’s October 8, 2015 demonstration that it can operate
land attack cruise missiles over long distances a Russian upgrade to some of India’s Type 877 (older version) EKM (export model) Kilo submarines is interesting.
India's 9 working Kilos are known as the
Sindhughosh class. They have had anti-ship capable Klub (NATO name is "Sizzler") missiles for several years. Now the Klubs on 4 Kilos will be augmented by or replaced by land attack capable Klubs.
The Indian Navy is signing the $771 million contract with Russia to extend the service life of the 4 to 35 years. Thirty years is the international average. The contract is with Russian shipbuilder Zvezdochka and will be sending the first submarine, INS Sindhukesari, for the refit in Severodvinsk Russia, in June 2016. Once INS Sindhukesari is refitted the Indian Navy will decide whether to upgrade the remaining 3 Kilos in India or again in Russia. If in India the 3 Kilos will be refitted with Zvezdochka’s assistance by
India’s Reliance Defence and Aerospace company at the Pipavav shipyard in Gujarat.
The Russian Navy has done this 'second refit' to its own Kilo fleet.
ISSUES
1. It is interesting that just 4 Kilos are to be refitted instead of all 9 servicable Kilos. This is noting the
10th INS Sindhurakshak suffered a catastrophic explosion/fire in August 2013 and is probably a write-off. First to be refitted, INS Sindhukesari, is one of the most recent 4 servicable Indian
Sindhughosh class Kilos built. If modernity is the criteria then the other three to be upgraded might be INS
Sindhukirti then INS
Sindhuvijay, then INS
Sindhurashtra.
2. It is interesting how the land attack Klub program interplays with other Indian SLCM programs including
BrahMos (300 km range) and
Nirbhay (1,000 km) programs. Any of these SLCMs could be made nuclear tipped. Nuclear tipped Klubs may be a response to the possibility of nuclear tipped Pakistani SLCMs.
3, If the land attack Klubs were nuclear tipped how would they relate to K-15 (700-1,000 km) shorter range SLBM plans?
4. Under
MTCR land attack Klubs would officially be limited to 300 km range but given Russia’s recent 2,000 km range
Kalibr demonstration
a longer range Klub may be India's more quiet wish.
5. It is unclear with this October 2015 refitting plan cancels or is in addition to a
July 2015 Indian Kilo refitting plan.
Submarine Matters: Russia selling land attack Klub Missiles to India, Kilo sub upgrade
Now lemme paste what Prasun K Sengupta said about India's Nirbhay CM..
BUT WHAT IF the Nirbhay was a cloned version of the Novator 3M14E Klub LACM, whose actual range is 1,500km (as demonstrated by Russia when it recently fired them off from the Caspian Sea), but whose restricted range is 290km when officially exported to the Indian Navy? Have you factored in that possibility? What is, just like the BrahMos-1 supersonic multi-role cruise missile, Russia parted with the long-range 3M14E’s design data & allowed the DRDO, HAL etc to back-engineer the LACM’s on-board avionics & propulsion systems & label them as ‘indigenous; products?
My Comment
Both gentleman makes me clearly feel India has progressed well into
1. New Doctrine of Torpedo Launched CMs (No VLS tubes in Kilos) via Russian help
2. Actual range is much longer then whats declared under MTCR
3. The shift shows arming almost all conventional subs via N capabale CMs and that also without the VLS Unit.,. Guess from where we learned this art.. If not Russians then definitely via Israel (Dolphin II Popeye Turbo)
4. LACMs would be an additional capability as present clubs are for Anti Shipping.. What does it tell you.. Some navy talked about A2/AD and IN quietly with GOI got approval to get it done without fanfare in exisiting SSKs only... Oncve this capability is clearly defined, of course it can be used in other subs too (read Scorpene SSKs or our N Sub programs too). We quietly adding dual capabilities without fanfare and without claiming big ticket sub purchases to deter India's vast coastline and A2/AD roles...