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INS Sindhukirti (S61) Back in Operational Service After Successful Midlife Refit & Upgrade at HSL

Navy gets INS Sindhukirti back
With its return, the Navy will have 11 operational submarines
ins-sindhughosh-class.jpg

Indian Navy planners heaved a sigh of relief on Friday at the return of a frontline Kilo-class submarine, INS Sindhukirti, which has been missing from the operational fleet through a nine-year "refit" (overhaul) in Hindustan Shipyard Ltd, Visakhapatnam (HSL).

The HSL chief, Rear Admiral (Retired) Nikunj Mishra, confirmed to Business Standard that INS Sindhukirti sailed out from the shipyard at 10:20 am on Thursday and returned to harbour safely on Friday.

"The crew noted no defects, only some minor observations that will be addressed," said Mishra. INS Sindhukirti's refit took so long that many defence experts believed the vessel would never return to operational service. After another of the Navy's eight Kilo-class submarines, INS Sindhurakshak, sank in an unexplained explosion on August 14, 2013, the Sindhukirti's absence was felt even more keenly.

With its return the Navy will have 11 operational submarines. Besides seven Kilo-class submarines of the so-called Sindhughosh-class; there are also four HDW submarines, referred to as the Shishumar-class.

While HSL has been severely criticised for taking nine years to refit Sindhukirti, Business Standard revealed (September 2, 2014, "Russia delayed sub refit to weaken shipyard?") that the refit might have been deliberately prolonged by Russian experts to ensure that future Indian submarine refits were entrusted to Russian shipyards rather than to HSL.

Earlier Kilo-class refits in Russian shipyard Zvezdochka took an average of two and a half years each, and cost hundreds of crore rupees each. Zvezdochka experts who supervised the Sindhukirti's refit at HSL knew they were assisting a potential competitor, which would indigenise the submarine overhaul business.

As Business Standard reported, each parameter of work that Zvezdochka experts ordered HSL to carry out on the Sindhukirti was several multiples of the work that the Russian shipyard had done while earlier overhauling INS Sindhughosh in Russia. For example, the most time-consuming and expensive work during a refit involves replacing damaged hull plates. Zvezdochka replaced only three square metres of hull plates while refitting Sindhughosh in Russia. But for Sindhukirti, the Russian experts ordered 39 square metres - 13 times as much - hull plating to be replaced.

INS Sindhukirti's refit has involved extensive modernisation. Like submarines refitted in Russia, its torpedo tubes were modified to fire Klub missiles at surface targets. But Sindhukirti also got additional capabilities: A MCA inertial navigation suite, a Palady nerve system, and a Pirit ship control console. Bharat Electronics Ltd has provided an indigenous Ushus sonar and a modernised CCS Mark II communications suite. If Russia's aim was to scuttle further refit orders to HSL, that has been achieved. In October the defence ministry cleared a Rs 4,800-crore refit for six submarines, with two each being refitted in Zvezdochka; in Mazagon Dock Ltd, Mumbai; and in Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.

HSL will have to remain content with building two midget submarines, an order worth Rs 2,000 crore that the ministry cleared in February. Known as "strategic operations vessels" or SOVs, these small vessels ferry naval commandoes to enemy coastlines.

Source:- Navy gets INS Sindhukirti back | Business Standard News
 
Indian Navy testing submarine equipped with Russian missile system
The Indian Navy has begun testing a modernised and refitted diesel – electric submarine, the Sindhukirti, which is equipped with the Russian-made Club-S missile strike system. This is the sixth ‘Kilo’ class submarine to be refitted and modernised in collaboration with Russia.

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Modernization turned out to be a more complex process than the construction of a new submarine. Source: AP

The Indian Navy has started testing a modernised and refitted diesel-electric submarine, the Sindhukirti, in the open seas, N.K. Mishra, head of the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), told reporters on Friday.

The modernization began in 2006, and took nine years to complete. During this time, the Ushus sonar system, manufactured in India, was installed on the submarine, along with more than 10 other systems of both domestic and foreign manufacture. 100 kms of cables and 30 kms of high-pressure air pipes were replaced during the refit.

“Modernization turned out to be a more complex process than the construction of a new submarine,” the newspaper The Hindu quoted Mishra as saying, on its website. “This was the largest project ever implemented in an Indian shipyard.”

A TASS news agency source close to the Indian Ministry of Defence refused to comment on the progress of the tests, but said in the course of modernization, the Sindhukirti also acquired the Russian-made Club-S missile strike system (export version of the Calibre-C missile system), with a range of up to 200 km.

The source added that the Russian Star Ship-Repair Centre “also participated in the refit and modernization of the submarine”, which took place in the city of Visakhapatnam. The company has modernized six submarines for the Indian Navy since 1997, at its own berths in Severodvinsk. These were the Sindhughosh, Sindhuvir, Sindhuratna, Sindhuvijay, and Sindhurakshak, before the Sindhukirti.

All these are Russian-built submarines of the 887 EKM project (NATO classification, “Kilo”), developed by the Rubin Central Design Bureau for Marine Engineering (St. Petersburg). They are designed to fight enemy ships and submarines, and to defend naval bases, onshore and offshore communications, reconnaissance, and patrol activities.

These submarines have a displacement of 2,300 tons, their length is 72.6 m, submerged speed is 19 knots (about 35 km) per hour, diving depth around 300 meters, can carry a crew of 52 people, and has a cruising capacity of 45 days.

Source:- ТАСС: Армия и ОПК - ВМС Индии начали испытания подлодки, оснащенной ракетной системой из РФ
 
After successful completion of retrofitting over a period of nine years, Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) Friday handed over the submarine INS Sindhukirti to the Indian Navy here. The sea trial of INS Sindhukirti, the seventh Sindhughosh class diesel electric submarine of the Navy, was conducted last month.

The Indian Navy’s INS Sindhukirti to undergo final trials before officially re-entering into service with the Indian Navy next month. Indian Navy’s INS Sindhukirti will enter its final full-power trials after a decade-long renovation process.

Hindustan Shipyard Hands Over Retrofitted Submarine to Navy -The New Indian Express
 
But Sindhukirti also got additional capabilities: A MCA inertial navigation suite, a Palady nerve system, and a Pirit ship control console. Bharat Electronics Ltd has provided an indigenous Ushus sonar and a modernised CCS Mark II communications suite.

Isn't the Pirit ship control standard on all Kilo class? If this was added now, what was present earlier? Also, it says mca inertial navigation. What does this mean? Was the Andoga not an inertial navigation suite? So how was MCA done earlier? @Penguin
 
Isn't the Pirit ship control standard on all Kilo class? If this was added now, what was present earlier? Also, it says mca inertial navigation. What does this mean? Was the Andoga not an inertial navigation suite? So how was MCA done earlier? @Penguin
Q1 on PiRit: no. see:
Management of general ship systems Control "Palladium" (pr.877E) Control "Palladium"
Control "Palladium-M" (perhaps after modernization of Indian submarines pr.877EKM)
Complex "Pyrite-M" (perhaps after modernization of Indian submarines pr.877EKM)
Control "Palladium-EM" (?)
Complete information and Analysis on "Sindhu" class Submarine

Q2 on ANdoga: NO
Navigation system "Andoga" "Appassionata -EKM" "Andoga."On the upgraded submarine pr.877EKM (at least by 2011 - Sindhurakshak) - navigation system "Appassionata -EKM.1" (modernizitsiya navigation system "Appassionata-CME").
Complete information and Analysis on "Sindhu" class Submarine

28 2015 - It is reported that the submarine "Sindhukirti" S61 pr.877EKM after completion of repairs to the modernization, which were carried out at the shipyard in India, will be released on the sea trials.The boat installed systems "Pyrite-M", "Palladium-M" CICS "Lama-EKM" (all - development and production of NGO "Aurora").Following the modernization of boats will be able to use the project 877EKM two types of missiles - 3M-54E against naval targets, and 3M-14E at ground targets
Индийская подлодка «Синдукирти» готовится к ходовым испытаниям после модернизации | Еженедельник «Военно-промышленный курьер»
Complete information and Analysis on "Sindhu" class Submarine
 
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