Indian Navy News & Discussions

[DarK-LorD]

New ships to boost Navy's blue-water ambitions
Kalyan Ray, Mumbai, Aug 22, DHNS:

Even though the Indian Navy is increasingly involved with coastal security, a shipyard in southern Mumbai bears testimony to Navy's blue water ambitions, which has not been bogged down by its brown-water responsibilities.

As many as 14 ships and submarines are at various stages of construction at the Mazgaon dock here, which will be delivered to the navy before the decade ends. Contracts for three more submarines may also come to Mazgaon shipyard, which is now modernising its facilities so that the warships and submarines can be delivered on time.
Since 26/11, the navy has been brought into the coastal security network in a major way to ensure a repeat does not happen.

Some holes were plugged in the last three years but there are still many that requires the navy’s continuous intervention in the next couple of years. Overseas deployment signifying Indian Navy’s strength is one of the casualties.

This year the western deployment has been cancelled because the western naval command could not spare warships required for coastal security and anti-piracy missions.
Arrival of a string of new battleships may change the equation in the Indian Ocean.
While the first two indigenous stealth frigates, the INS Shivalik and Satpura, had been delivered to the navy, the third one INS Sahaydri will be commissioned in 2012.
Next comes a bunch of destroyers in the lines of INS Delhi. The first of the three destroyers under Project 15-A (INS Kochi) will be ready by the first half of the next year whereas the steel-cutting for the construction of four more similar ships (Project 15-B) will start around September-October, said an official of the Mazgaon Dock Ltd.
Work on six Scorpene submarines is in full swing, too. All submarines (Project 75) will be delivered between August 2015 and September 2018.

“The fabrication of the pressure hull of all the six submarines will be completed by 2012-end. The facility then could be used for three more submarines in the follow on order (Project 75-I). By early 2013 we will be ready for the future submarine project,” MDL chairman and managing director H S Malhi said here.

Under the Project 75-I that received initial approval from the defence ministry, the Centre plans to build submarines in three different shipyards including the MDL that plans to finish its modernisation by December 2011.

New ships to boost Navy's blue-water ambitions

 

[Abingdonboy]

Some interesting pics from the Maks 2011 and a Mig 29K with external fuel tank and a refuelling pod, for the carrier tanker role:

Yes "buddy refuelling" an important part of carrier operations. IN Mig-29Ks have been delivered with this as have IAF MKIs.

 

[sancho]

Yes "buddy refuelling" an important part of carrier operations. IN Mig-29Ks have been delivered with this as have IAF MKIs.

No doubt, 2 other possibilities for IAC2:

And the MKI for IAF:

 

[Abingdonboy]

No doubt, 2 other possibilities for IAC2:

And the MKI for IAF:

Great find with MKI.


+ I don't think Mig-29K will be considered for N-MMRCA for IAC-2 as the configuration is likely to be CATBAR with EMALS highly likely. So CATBAR fighters like the Rafele-M/F-18E/F/SEAGRIPEN are most likely and N-EFT and MIG-29K which are STOBAR configured won't be able to operate in CATBAR without major changes which EFT consortium have already said they can't do because of economical and weight considerations.


Another possible fighter for IAC-2:

And F-35C is still a possible candidate for IAC-2, IN have apparently shown very strong interest in it and as per Hilary's recent remarks the US are more than a willing seller.

 

[sudhir007]

Press Information Bureau English Releases

A contract was signed with Rosoboronexport, Russia in 2006 for acquisition of three Talwar Class follow-on ships and the delivery schedule for these three ships was April 2011, October 2011 and April 2012. Rosoboronexport has intimated that the delivery of the ships would be delayed as follows: 1st Ship - 12 months, 2nd Ship - 11 months and 3rd Ship - 14 months.

Two major cases of shipbuilding projects with Rosoboronexport, Russia namely, Gorshkov and Talwar Class follow-on ships have been delayed.

The induction of the Gorshkov/Vikramaditya was re-scheduled due to the necessity to carry out additional works such as renewal of almost all equipment/systems, hull structures, cabling, and application of long-life paint to afford greater protection to the ship`s steel plating and formulation of a detailed scope of harbour/sea trials/aircrafts trials. The delivery date of the ship has been revised to December, 2012.

The Russian side has brought out that the delays in the Talwar Class follow-on ships are primarily on account of non-availability of adequate skilled manpower at the shipyard to undertake concurrent construction of these vessels, and the delays in delivery of Russian origin equipment to the shipyard.

Issues relating to supply of defence equipment/platforms from Russia are taken up on a regular basis in various bilateral fora which include High Level Monitoring Committee (HLMC) meeting, Indo-Russian Inter-governmental Commission on Military Technical Cooperation (IRJGCMTC) meetings and in the Project Review Meetings.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri D Raja in Rajya Sabha today.

 

[sudhir007]

Press Information Bureau English Releases

Shortfall in Production of Indigenous Naval Warships

The CAG has conducted a performance audit of the indigenous construction of Indian naval warships, and has presented a Report to the Parliament in March 2011. While acknowledging that India has attained, credible capacity in warship building over the years, the Report also includes a number of observations and recommendations relating to more efficient project management, better coordination amongst various agencies involved in the process, and improved financial controls.

The Report does not contain any observations on an alarming fall in the productivity of Indian shipyards. It acknowledges that warship building, on its own, is a complex, time- consuming and iterative activity. This situation becomes more complex as a result of our dependency on foreign sources for procurement of major weapons and sensors, and also our aspirations for increased indigenous content in Indian warships, leading to delays in the process of delivery of ships.

To meet the growing requirements of indigenous shipbuilding and to adopt modern shipbuilding methods, Defence PSUs have embarked on yard modernization projects with the support of the Ministry of Defence. Further, initiatives have also been taken by Defence PSUs with support of the Ministry to induct modern build technologies for faster construction of naval warships.

This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju in a written reply to Shri Ramdas Agarwal in Rajya Sabha today.

 

[LiberalAtheist]

INDIAN NAVY INTERESTED IN AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE SHIPS

French naval shipbuilder DCNS said on Thursday it expected to receive a final answer from Russia soon on buying a Mistral-class helicopter carrier.
"The company is interested in cooperation with Russia. Now we are waiting only for a political decision. We believe we'll receive an answer from Moscow soon," Benoit de la Bigne, a DCNS executive, said.
The Russian military earlier announced that it was considering buying one of the Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, worth 400-500 million euros (around $540-$675 mln), and potentially building three or four vessels of the same class in partnership with the French naval shipbuilder DCNS.
A Mistral-class ship is capable of transporting and deploying 16 helicopters, four landing barges, up to 70 vehicles including 13 battle tanks, and 450 soldiers. The vessel is equipped with a 69-bed hospital and can be used as an amphibious command ship.
Many Russian military and industry experts have questioned the financial and military sense of the purchase.
Russia's current arms procurement program through 2015 does not provide for the construction or purchases of large warships, so the acquisition of a French warship is more likely under a new program, through 2020, which has yet to be developed.
The executive also said that India was displaying interest as well in buying a Mistral-class warship.
NEW DELHI, February 18 (RIA Novosti)


France expects Russian decision soon on buying Mistral warship | World | RIA Novosti

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

Nice shot of the Dhruv naval variant

 

[Abingdonboy]

Nice shot of the Dhruv naval variant

Great pic! It's a real shame HAL couldn't meet IN's stringent requirements and more Dhruvs weren't inducted into IN. Hopefully HAL gets it right with IMRH.

 

[satishkumarcsc]

Great pic! It's a real shame HAL couldn't meet IN's stringent requirements and more Dhruvs weren't inducted into IN. Hopefully HAL gets it right with IMRH.

No it is not like that...te navy requires only two types of choppers right now.....one is in the 3 ton class and the other in the 10 tonne class. Dhruv falls inbetween and also it had problems in having folding rotors for deck operations.

 

[DacterSaab]

good choice we surely need a Mistral

 

[sancho]

No it is not like that...te navy requires only two types of choppers right now.....one is in the 3 ton class and the other in the 10 tonne class. Dhruv falls inbetween and also it had problems in having folding rotors for deck operations.

What he meant is, that they failed to fulfill INs requirements for an ASW, or naval helicopter for the Carriers, or Frigats, because IN wanted more range. That's why we now might see Sea Hawks, NH90s, or some new Russian helicopters, while the numbers of Dhruv in IN is still very low. Imo that's a shame, because just by "looks", it's the most beautiful version of Dhruv and I still say, they should develop a streched varient, or add external fuel tanks to extend the range. It should be used at least in the normal transport and utility role on naval vessels.

 

[kaykay]

Indian warships’ costs escalate over 225%

The production of warships for the Indian Navy has faced considerable delays and a cost escalation of around 225 per cent in the case of the Kolkata-class destroyers and 260 per cent in the case of Shivalik-class frigates.

The Indian Defense Minister Arackaparambil Kurien Antony informed the Lower House of Parliament on Monday that the two major warship construction projects running behind schedule, the Project-15A (P-15A) Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers and the Project-17 (P-17) Shivalik-class have been delayed and are bearing the brunt of significant cost escalations.

Antony said the escalation for the Project-15A-class has been ‘about 225 per cent’. He cited the reasons for the delays and increase in costs for this class to include, ‘delay in supply of warship building quality steel by Russia, escalation due to increase in expenditure towards services of Russian Specialists on account of inflation during the build period, impact of wage revision due from October 2003 and finalization of cost of weapons and sensors’. The three destroyers are scheduled to be delivered by March, 2012, March, 2013 and March, 2014 respectively.

The escalation has been 260 per cent with respect to the Project-17 Shivalik-class frigates. According to Antony, the reasons are similar. He cited ‘delay in supply of warship building quality steel by Russia, delay in acquisition of weapon equipment from Russia, and delay in finalization of propulsion equipment in view of complex combined diesel and gas arrangement introduced for the first time in Indian Navy frigate’, as reasons for the escalation. While two of the P-17 frigates have been commissioned in April, 2010 and August, 2011 respectively, the third frigate is expected to be commissioned in early 2012.

Delivery Schedule and Current Costs


Project-15A Kolkata-class guided missile destroyers

Cost: INR 11662 crore

INS Kolkata: March, 2012
INS Kochi: March, 2013
INS Chennai: March, 2014

Project-17 Shivalik-class frigates

Cost: INR 8101 crore

INS Shivalik, delivered: April, 2010
INS Satpura, delivered: August, 2010
INS Sahyadri: Early 2012

P-15B (follow on to the P-15A Kolkata-class) destroyers

Cost: INR 29345 crore

July, 2018
July, 2020
July, 2022
July, 2024

Follow on Talwar-class (Krivak III variant) frigates

Cost: INR 5514 crore

INS Teg: April, 2012
INS Tarkash: September, 2012
INS Trikand: June, 2013

Note: 1 crore = 10 million

Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) is building three P-17 (Shivalik-class) frigates, three P-15A (Kolkata-class) destroyers and four P-15B (follow on to the P-15A Kolkata-class) destroyers. The contract for the four P-15B (follow on to the P-15A Kolkata-class) destroyers was signed last January and the delivery schedule is July, 2018, July, 2020, July, 2022 and July, 2024 respectively.

Antony also said the three follow on Talwar-class frigates ordered from Russia and due to be delivered in April, 2011, October, 2011 and April, 2012, have also been delayed by 12 months, 11 months and 14 months, respectively. Since this is a fixed price contract, there is no escalation in the cost of these ships due to the delays.

 

[kaykay]

‘New Karnataka naval base won’t eat into Goa operations’

Panaji: The newly-developed naval base INS Kadamba in Karnataka, a short distance from Goa, will not make the naval bases in Goa, especially INS Hansa, redundant, a senior Indian Navy official said Saturday.

Speaking to reporters, Commodore Ravneet Singh said no military assets from INS Hansa would be moved across the border to supplement INS Kadamba.

“We would continue doing the same thing which we have been doing. There will be no shifting of assets from this base. (INS) Hansa will remain Hansa,” he said.

INS Kadamba, a massive naval project which was commissioned in 2005, was built as part of ‘Project Seabird’ which was aimed at beefing up India?s maritime defenses along the south western coastline. It is located in Karwar district of Karnataka, a few kilometers from Goa’s southern border.

INS Hansa, a major naval base, was first conceived in 1961 at Sulur, near Coimbatore and was later shifted to Goa in 1964, three years after the Indian armed forces liberated Goa.

Singh said INS Hansa was a key player as far as providing logistics to anti-piracy operations was concerned.

“IL-38 SD helps in tracking down the submarine and suspected ships in the Arabian Sea right up to African coast,” Singh said.

“INS Hansa also handles 30 to 45 civil flight arrivals every day. We have had a total of 12,440 civil flights and military 7,000 hours flying,” Singh said, adding that the Navy-run Goa airport at Dabolim, 35 kilometers from here, had the record of highest departures of any civilian flights from the country

---------- Post added at 08:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:17 PM ----------

Training of fresh pilots puts Sagar Pawan shows on hold

Panaji: The engaging aerobatic demonstrations of the Indian Navy’s elite Sagar Pawan team, based in Goa, have been put on hold because of heavy training pressures on aircraft.

Addressing reporters at the headquarters in Vasco, 35 kilometers from here, Commodore Ravneet Singh said the Kiran aircraft were currently engaged in training fresh pilots for MiG-29K and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

“Sagar Pawans are still in business,” he said. “But right now they are in charge of training fighter pilots. That is why they are not doing their shows.”

Sagar Pawan, which means ‘sea breeze’, is a team distinctly identifiable because of the dark blue-and-white stripes its four HJT-16 Kiran Mk2 aircraft carry. It is garrisoned at Goa’s Dabolim Naval Air Station, INS Hansa, and has been active since the last decade.

“With the induction of MiG-29k and the LCA in line for induction, there is need to train more pilots and the load is heavy,” Commander L. Tyagarajan said. “Once we train enough pilots for these two aircraft, we can focus back on the Sagar Pawan shows.

He ruled out reports that the Sagar Pawan team was grounded after an accident at an air show in Hyderabad last year.

“The fighter pilots for these two aircraft-types conduct their initial training with the (Indian) Air Force and are later trained by us,” Tyagarajan said.

 

[RPK]

Fleet Strength of Indian Navy
Government constantly reviews the security environment and decides about induction of appropriate defence equipment/platforms, including various kinds of ships/submarines for the Navy. This is a continuous process undertaken as per the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) from various indigenous as well as foreign sources for the modernization of armed forces to keep them in a state of readiness to meet any eventuality. Proposals for induction of naval ships are based on the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP)/Five Year Plan/Annual Plan which stipulates the number and type of vessels required as well as timelines for such inductions. Divulging further details would not be in the national interest.

Major warship construction projects of the Navy running behind schedule include Project-15A (P-15A) and Project-17 (P17). The cost escalation in these two projects has been about 225% and 260% respectively. The major cost escalation & delay has been due to uncertainties associated with the complex warship building process. Reasons for delay and cost escalations in respect of P-15A and P-17 are as follows:

P-15A: The main reasons contributing towards cost escalations are - delay in supply of warship building quality steel by Russia, escalation due to increase in expenditure towards services of Russian Specialists on account of inflation during the build period, impact of Wage revision due from October 2003 and finalization of cost of weapons and sensors.

P-17: The main reasons contributing towards cost escalations are - delay in supply of warship building quality steel by Russia, delay in acquisition of weapon equipment from Russia, and delay in finalization of propulsion equipment in view of complex combined diesel and gas arrangement introduced for the first time in Indian Navy frigate.

A contract was signed with Rosoboronexport, Russia in 2006 for acquisition of three Talwar Class follow-on ships and the delivery schedule for these three ships was April 2011, October 2011 and April 2012. Rosoboronexport has intimated that the delivery of the ships would be delayed as follows: 1st Ship - 12 months, 2nd Ship - 11 months and 3rd Ship - 14 months. The contract for acquisition of these three ships is a fixed price contract.

A programme for construction of six Scorpene submarines is currently underway at M/s. Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) under Project- 75. As per the contract, the 1st submarine was scheduled to be delivered in December 2012 and thereafter, one each every year till December 2017. There has been delay in this project due to initial teething problems, absorption of complex technology, augmentation of MDL infrastructure and procurement of MDL Purchased Material (MPM). The 1st submarine is now scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2015.

Acceptance of Necessity for acquisition of Six Submarines under Project-75 (India) has been accorded by the Defence Acquisition Council. The proposal is being progressed. A modernization programme has been initiated for the existing submarine fleet and a number of platforms have already been modernized. The programme has been worked out by the Navy catering to the obsolescence/non- supportability of system/equipment and to include contemporary technology.

During the last five years, construction of three ships under P-17, three ships under P-15A and four ships under P-15B has been assigned to MDL. The 1st ship and the 2nd ship under P-17 have been commissioned in April 2010 and August 2011 respectively and the 3rd ship is expected to be commissioned in early 2012. The three ships under P-15A are scheduled to be delivered by March 2012, March 2013 and March 2014 respectively. Contract for four P-15B ships has been signed in January 2011, with delivery schedule as July 2018, July 2020, July 2022 and July 2024 respectively.

There is no proposal at present for creation of MDL facilities at Mangalore.

This information was given by Defence Minister Shri AK Antony in a written reply to Shri K Shivakumar and others in Lok Sabha today.

PK/NN  
(Release ID :75583)