anant_s
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NEW DELHI: Chinese and other submarines are fast stepping up their forays into the Indian Ocean region (IOR) but India continues to drag its feet in acquiring advanced helicopters that operate from warships to detect, track and kill such underwater predators.
The irony is that while the Navy is on track to induct four-five major warships every year over the next decade, with as many as 40 ships already on order in domestic shipyards, the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters to provide them with "close-in protection" are nowhere in sight.
The Navy currently has just 11 Kamov-28 and 17 Sea King ASW helicopters to defend its existing fleet of over 130 warships from enemy submarines on the prowl silently. While the Sea Kings are over 20 years old, the Kamov-28s are long overdue for a mid-life upgrade.
With only half of these aging helicopters operationally available at any given time, alarms bells have begun to clang loudly at this "critical operational gap" in the IOR which is getting "dense with foreign submarines", say sources.
The Navy is already grappling with a crippling shortage in missiles to arm the Israeli Barak-I anti-missile defence systems on its 14 frontline warships, including aircraft carrier INS Viraat, due to a seven-year-old CBI probe into kickbacks in the original contract.
"It's like a double-whammy. The protective shield around the warships is fast eroding," said a source. The ASW helicopters fly ahead of warships to "dunk" their sonars in the "tropical waters" of IOR to depths like 200-300 metres, listen for underwater electronic and other signals of submarines, track and then eliminate threats to "sanitize" the path for the fleet.
It has being almost a decade since the Navy initiated a case to acquire 16 new multi-role helicopters with potent ASW capabilities. But it's yet to fructify due to the government's slow decision-making process, coupled with squabbling between contenders European NH-90 and American Sikorsky-70B helicopters.
This contract is crucial since it is to be followed by a bigger deal for 123 helicopters in the 9 to 12.5-tonne class with ASW capabilities as well as customized for amphibious assaults and commando operations at a cost of over $3 billion.
The abysmal situation can be gauged from the fact that even aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, the rechristened Admiral Gorshkov slated for commissioning in mid-November after a $2.33 billion refit in Russia, has no ASW helicopters earmarked for it till now. "A carrier battle group requires at least 8 to 10 ASW helicopters," said a source.
Govt drags feet on anti-submarine chopper deal - The Times of India
