Expansion of the Indian navy
Written by Cdre Md. Khurshed Alam ndc psc BN (retd)
With 55,000 men and women, including 5,000 naval aviation personnel and 2,000 Marine Commandos (MARCOS), the Indian Navy is the world's fifth largest blue water navy. The Indian Navy currently operates more than 155 vessels, including the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. The names of all the commissioned ships in the Indian Navy start with INS, meaning 'Indian Naval Ship'. The fleet of the Indian Navy is a mix of indigenous built and Russian origin vessels and is expanding rapidly with new inductions almost every year. The Navy currently operates the Delhi and Rajput class destroyers. The frigates in service include the latest Talwar class, Godavari class, Leander class and Brahmaputra class. It is also adding the Kiev Class Aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (INS Vikramaditya) from Russia just like the first US Navy ship Trenton transferred as the INS Jalashva after commissioning. INS Dunagiri, INS Magar and INS Trishul were involved in accidents at sea. One corvette, INS Prahar was sunk after colliding with a merchant vessel. The first involvement of the Navy in any conflict came with the success of Operation Vijay in the 1961 liberation of Goa. After Portuguese troops fired at commercial vessels and fishing boats passing near an island, the Government of India took the decision to militarily intervene to liberate Goa from Portuguese rule. The Indian ships provided fire support to navy and army landing troops. During the operation, the Portuguese frigate Alfonso de Albuquerque was also sunk by the fire power of INS Delhi.
The Indian Navy is organized into three regional commands-HQ Eastern Naval Command, Visakhapatnam, HQ Western Naval Command, Mumbai and HQ Southern Naval Command, Kochin. Another strategic command, a joint Navy, Army and Air force command was set up in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2001. Recently the Indian Navy received a huge boost when INS Kadamba was commissioned at Karwar, 100 km down south from Goa. This is the third operational naval base after Mumbai and Vishakapatnam and the first to be controlled exclusively by the Indian Navy. It is being described by naval analysts as the largest such base in the area. It is an $8 billion dollar project which will have an exclusive naval port with full facilities. Another base is being planned near Vishakapatnam at a cost of US$ 350 million. The base, which will be located fifty km south of Vishakapatnam in Rambilli Mandal, will have comprehensive anti-aircraft, anti-submarine and amphibious capability. This base alongwith the one In Andaman would like to control the maritime activities around the rim of the Bay of Bengal. According to defense experts, the naval base at Karwar will play a major role in securing the seas not only for India but also for countries like Japan, which rely heavily on shipping for imports and exports through maritime routes in the Arabian sea. The Indian Navy is also setting up a monitoring station in Madagascar to patrol the coast of Mozambique to monitor and prevent terrorist activities.
The Marine Commando Force (MCF) known as MARCOS, modeled after the US Navy SEALs and the Royal Marines, was created to handle reconnaissance, raids and counter-terrorism in a maritime environment. The Indian Navy currently maintains a fleet of 16 diesel powered submarines. These are primarily of Russian and German origin. Scorpion submarines would begin to join the Indian Navy from 2010-11 onwards. The Indian Navy may arm its Kilo class submarine fleet with the BrahMos cruise missiles if the test launching of BrahMos from the submarine is successful. India has been working since 1985 to develop an indigenously constructed nuclear-powered submarine, one that is based on the Soviet Charlie II-class design, detailed drawings of which are said to have been obtained from the Soviet Union in 1989. The secretive Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project to provide nuclear propulsion for Indian submarines has been one of the ill-managed projects of India. The 190 MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) is reported to be fitted into the submarine's hull. The Prototype Testing Centre (PTC) at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, will be used to test the submarine's turbines and propellers. A similar facility is operational at Vishakapatnam to test the main turbines and gear box. According to defense sources, the ATV program is scheduled to be launched in 2007 and to be commissioned sometime around 2012. Each unit will cost about one billion U.S dollars.
The Indian Navy's nuclear deterrence capability is based on Sukanya class ships armed with the Dhanush ballistic missiles that has a range of 350 km. India plans to have as many as five nuclear submarines capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads. The Indian nuclear powered attack submarine design is said to have a 4,000-ton displacement and a single-shaft nuclear power plant of Indian origin. Once the vessel is completed, it may be equipped with Danush/Sagarika cruise missiles and advanced Indian made sonar systems. However, according to some analysts the most probable missile for the Indian submarine would be the BrahMos anti-ship cruise missile. But others point out that with a 300 km range, the BrahMos would not be adequately a strategic asset requiring long reach. According to some very reliable defense sources India is leasing two Akula class submarines and is supposedly paying two billion dollars for the completion of the submarines. Three hundred Indian Navy personnel are being trained in Russia for the operation of these submarines. India has finalized a deal with Russia, in which at the end of the lease of these submarines, it has an option to buy them. According to reports, the submarine must be handed over to the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy established its first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron in January at Kochi, a coastal naval air station in southwest India. From there, the Israeli-built Heron UAVs patrol the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. UAV bases are also being established in the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea and at Port Blair in the Andaman Islands near the western approaches to the Strait of Malacca. The network of UAV bases is indicative of the growing importance to India of maritime security, a goal that today dominates its naval planning and operations. The Indian Navy is currently undergoing rapid expansion and modernisation. Yantar, a plant in Kaliningrad, Russia, was awarded a US$1.56 billion contract to build three additional 1135.6 frigates. The increased price is due to more sophisticated armaments such as BrahMos cruise missiles. The Navy has government approval for eight additional warships.
Sangraha is a joint electronic warfare, a family of electronic warfare suites, such as Ajanta and Ellora, for use on different naval platforms capable of intercepting, detecting, and classifying pulsed, carrier wave, pulse repetition frequency agile, frequency agile and chirp radars. The systems employ a modular approach facilitating deployment on various platforms like helicopters, vehicles, and small ships. Certain specific platforms apart from ESM (electronic support measures) also have ECM (electronic countermeasure) capabilities. Advanced technologies like multiple-beam phased array jammers are employed in the system for simultaneous handling of multiple threats. To face the challenges in the 21st century, the Indian Navy is implementing a new strategy to move from a platform centric force to a network-centric force by linking all shore-based installations and ships via high-speed data networks and satellites. This will help in increased operational awareness. The network is referred to as the Navy Enterprise Wide Network (NEWN).
Last year, India began construction of a 37,500 tonne Vikrant class aircraft carrier at a cost of 4,000 crore and scheduled to operate 30 aircraft, including Naval LCA, MiG-29K, and Sea Harrier combat aircraft, as well as HAL Dhruv, Ka-31, and Sea King Mk42 helicopters. The carrier is being constructed by state-run Cochin Shipyard Limited and will be commissioned by 2012-13. Its air arm consists of Sea Harrier jets that operate from the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. Recently, the Harriers were modernized for Beyond Visual Range missile capability. The Kamov-31 provides the AEW cover for the fleet. In the anti-submarine role the Sea king, Ka-28 and the indigenously-built HAL Dhruv are used. The MARCOS use Sea King and HAL Dhruv helicopters while conducting operations. Reconnaissance operations are carried out by Tupolev 142, Ilyushin 38, Dornier Do 228 and also by HAL Chetak helicopter. The UAV arm consists of around 30 UAVs like Heron and Searcher-IIs that are operated from ships and shore for better surveillance. There are reports on the joint development by India and Israel of the Barak-II missile system, an improved, longer range version of the Barak-I air defense missile. The Barak-I is used on most of the main ships of the Indian Navy. India has a number of foreign made cruise missile systems, including the Klub (SS-N-27). Another successful program has been the adaptation of the Yakhont anti-ship missile system into the BrahMos. The BrahMos has been tailored to Indian needs and uses a large proportion of Indian-designed components and technology, including its fire control systems, transporter erector launchers, and its onboard navigational attack systems.
The Government of India is spending more than $10 billion annually to purchase ships making India the leading military buyer and is already the most powerful navy in the region. India is also the only Asian navy to regularly operate aircraft carriers other than Thailand. With the recent and ongoing upgrades and inductions, independent analysts believe that the Indian blue-water navy may soon start playing its hegemonistic role in collaboration with the US Navy operating in the area as well from its base in Diego Garcia. India has long been asking US to remove the base from the Diego Garcia and now what a turn round of Indian mind set. Other littoral navies are also getting very apprehensive about the rapid expansion of the navy as of today none can threaten the might of the Indian navy. In Bangladesh, it is not known whether our planners or for that matter the Bangladesh Navy are at all thinking about the looming threats originating from the sea in securing a safe maritime routes for our trade and commerce. We must not think of matching the strength of that Navy but we must know about the threat that exist and must remember about the havoc it played during the 1971 naval blockade and atleast have a long term plan commensurating our financial capabilities.
The author is a free lancer.
While in Delhi last month, I had the good fortune to meet Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd.), and seized the opportunity ask him a few questions pertaining to India's growing naval prowess, as well as to its ambitious maritime strategy. Here is the transcript of our conversation, held at his private residence in Noida, on the 12th of October.
One could argue that overall, historically, India's strategic thought has been largely under the sway of a continental or himalayan mindset. over the past ten to fifteen years however, India has been slowly but surely building up its blue-water navy. The Navy's share of the defense budget has steadily risen from 11.2% in 1992-1993 to 18.3% in 2007-2008. What in your opinion, has prompted the shift in Indian strategic thought towards seapower?
I agree with you when you say that throughout history India's strategic mindset has been mostly continental. I would disagree, however, when you state the focus on maritime power as being a relatively recent evolution. If one looks at the history of India's Navy since independence, one can see that the strategic conceptualisation of a blue-water navy has been there from the get-go, and this was undoubtedly a direct heritage from the traditional British emphasis on seapower.
The Indian Navy was already a blue-water force in many regards in the late 50s. In 1961, the Indian Navy could deploy its first aircraft carrier, the Vikrant, as well as a dozen destroyers and two cruisers.
Yes but the overall share of the defence budget remained low.
Yes, granted, at about 10 %, but one still cannot deny that the IN already had an expeditionary capability.
So what happened in the 1960s? How can one explain the subsequent neglect of seapower?
After its humiliating defeat at the hands of the Chinese in 1962, India's main priorities were to strengthen its land borders, and build up its army and airforce, which were the primary actors in the event of a conflict with China or Pakistan along the Himalayas. The Indian Navy, no longer considered as strategically relevant, was relegated to the backseat and its share in the defence budget plummeted to about 3%. Nevertheless the strategic 'blueprint' for a blue-water navy remained, which explains the regain of activity in terms of procurement and funding later on during the Indira Gandhi era, when the budget rose once again to about 10%.
I'd say that the main difference now is that the IN has grown in self-confidence after the success of such high profile operations as Operation Sukoon or the 2004 tsunami relief effort.
Do you think that the Indian Navy's share of the defence budget will continue to rise in years to come?
Yes, I think that there are high chances that it will rise to about 20%.
Don't you think that there's a risk however that in the wake of the spate of terrorist attacks last year and when confronted with the growing Naxal insurgency, the government will be compelled to focus more on issues of domestic and internal security rather than on power projection and on its corollaries such as naval power?
There is always that risk, of course, but I doubt it. The IN has become very adept at arguing its case-it is no longer considered just as a branch of the military-it has become a vital diplomatic tool in India's attempts to project its soft power in the region and beyond. Also, the attacks you refer to have sometimes directly benefitted the Navy. After the Mumbai attacks for example, the Coast Guard underwent a massive restructuring.
(Indian Marine Commandos in action during the Mumbai terrorist attacks)
James Holmes and Toshi Yoshihara, two professors at the US Naval War College, have given three possible 'models' of what the future IN may look like: the Free Rider Navy, the Constable Navy, and finally the Strongman Navy. The Free Rider Navy would contain one deployable carrier task force, the Constable two or more, and the Strongman three or more. For them "the fitful progress of Indian shipbuilding and acquisition efforts casts doubts on the navy's chances of assembling a Constable fleet by 2022, the national date by which Admiral Mehta's 160 ship fleets should be at sea".
They believe that the most realistic model is the Free Rider model, with New Delhi accepting, for the time being, American maritime power as an outside guarantor of security in Asia, and as a temporary expedient that serves India's current purposes, while posing little threat to its immediate interests. The only thing that could move India towards a Constable model would be a sustained forward deployment of Chinese naval forces in the Indian Ocean- do you agree?
There have of course been some frustrating delays in India's most recent naval acquistions. It is in the nature of things, however, for ships to get laid off faster than they are inducted. If you look at the American fleet, for example, it has declined over the past few years from 279 combatant ships to 260. Even though the pace of India's naval expansion and modernization hasn't always been as fast as people would like it to be, by 2020 India should have at least two to three aircraft carriers, as well as 16 to 20 destroyers and frigates.
America is, for the time being at least, the only other really credible naval presence in the region. India will not be happy if any other country establishes a strong naval presence in the Indian Ocean.
I suppose that you are referring to China and to its so-called String of Pearls Strategy?
Yes, although, I can't help thinking that the String of Pearls has been overhyped by the press. Gwadar is the only port whose infrastructure is anywhere close to completion. And even the stationing of Chinese submarines in Gwadar could reveal itself complicated for Beijing-the Americans and other regional powers such as Saudi Arabia will be watching from across the Persian Gulf.
Now for a more technical question: how does India's most recent class of Kolkata destroyers compare with its Chinese Sovremenny design counterpart?
When it comes to destroyers and frigates China still suffers the consequences of the arms embargo. Whereas India can have access to high-tech Israeli, American and French equipment, China can only really rely on Russia. I would say that in terms of weapons sensors, the Kolkata destroyers are 25 to 30% more sophisticated.
(The design for the latest Kolkata class of guided missile destroyer)
In terms of Air Defence systems for example?
Yes, for example.
Moving onto the Pakistani Navy: I am finding it somewhat arduous to obtain any detailed studies on the matter. It would seem though that Pakistan, with the acquisition of Agosta class submarines and maritime surveillance planes fitted with anti-ship missiles, is moving towards a sea denial strategy with regard to India. Would you say that this is the case?
Yes, Pakistan's entire maritime doctrine revolves around the use of submarines in order to effect sea denial.
Pakistan just inducted the first of four Chinese-designed Sword-class (F-22P) frigates. What role do these ships hold in Pakistan's strategic calculus?
I still believe that Pakistan's primary goal is sea denial. These new ships have more of a peacetime role, and are there for prestige purposes. They will be probably be used for naval diplomacy via port calls, joint naval exercices etc.
Final question: what strategy should India adopt in order to counter Chinese naval expansion? Should India focus more on ASW (Anti-submarine warfare) rather than on carrier-based force projection? Isn't there a risk that Indian carriers will become increasingly vulnerable to China's anti-ship ballistic missiles and ASCMs?
Carriers bring an essential element to the table in the event of a high-seas conflict in the form of airpower. As for anti-ship missiles, one has to hope that the IN's anti-missile and air-defence systems will be up to the task.
When it comes to China, it is inevitable that the PLAN will extend its presence into the Indian Ocean region in order to secure their energy supplies and the sea lanes of communication. This can be viewed as legitimate in many regards. India must thus enter into a two-pronged strategy vis-a-vis China- more must be done in terms of maritime cooperation versus non-conventional threats such as piracy and terrorism in order to build up trust in-between the two navies. At the same time, the Indian Navy must continue to strengthen its presence in the Indian Ocean, as well as its capabilities, and must remain watchful.
