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The Indian Navy’s highly anticipated high-tech stealth warship being crafted at the state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in Kolkata is suffering further delays.
The Indian Navy’s order for four anti-submarine warfare (ASW) corvettes from GRSE is termed Project 28 and it is two years behind schedule.
The cost of Project 28 has inflated from a sanctioned amount $560 million ( $140 million per corvette) to an estimated $1.4 billion now.
However, GRSE will not bear the brunt of this financial aspect.
For GRSE, the Project 28 is a cost-plus contract wherein the actual cost of construction of the first ship will be the basis for paying for the entire project.
The main cause of delay has been the stringent standards of stealth for every piece of equipment on board set for the suppliers. Hence, they have struggled to develop engines, transmission, air-conditioning and power-generating systems.
Since the Indian Navy has indicated that the machinery must work silently and that the majority of parts must be sourced or produced locally, GRSE is finding it tough to live up to the Navy’s expectations. The Indian Navy has clearly indicated that no compromise will be made in terms of standard for Project 28.
The Project 28 corvettes are 2,500-tonne warships that will protect Indian Navy battle groups and coastal installations from enemy submarines that pose threats.
The challenge of Project 28 has been to minimise vibrations and noise from the ship’s machinery, propellers and from water swirling past the hull thereby increasing the stealth factor.
Presently, the Kirloskar group has delivered the engines and so has DCNS of France. The French firm supplied the Raft Mounted Gearbox, which negates noise satisfactorily. However, other electronics are still being developed as per the stipulated operational requirements.
The corvettes being developed in Project 28 will be heavily armed but silent so that it can lurk undetected. It will have an Otomelara Super Rapid Gun Mount (SRGM) on the bow which can release 76 millimetre shells onto aerial and surface targets.
They will also consist of two Indigenous Rocket Launchers (IRLs) that can fire at both submarines and ships. Submarines can also be engaged through the six torpedo tubes. Two AK 630 Gatling guns, one on either side, can shoot down attacking aircraft. Finally, vertically launched missiles are likely to be mounted for engaging surface targets.
The Indian Navy is one of the world’s fastest growing navies and it will be inducting 100 warships over the next decade. Its fleet of 120 vessels is the fifth largest in the world.
Indian Navy officials plan to spend $4 billion a year on new capabilities and roughly 60 per cent will be devoted to acquisitions of naval hardware.
Currently, 32 warships and submarines are under construction in the country’s shipyards. Work on 75 more ships, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and amphibious vessels will be initiated soon.
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