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India Defence Online, New Delhi — India’s highly anticipated Akula-II class, 8,140 tonne Nerpa attack submarine which was to be leased from Russia in December this year has faced another setback. According to the Indian Navy, the training of the Indian team to operate the submarine has not been satisfactory.
Since the Indian sailors have not been trained well enough to operationalise the submarine once it reaches India, the submarine will now be accepted only in the middle of next year. The Indian Navy has posted nearly 100 officers and sailors to the Amur shipyard in Siberia where the Nerpa submarine was built and tested, for more than a year.
Since their abilities have not reached up to the mark, the training will take another five months to complete. Also, the technology of nuclear submarines has undergone a change over the years, necessitating a fresh set of skills to operate them.
The Akula-II class, 8,140 tonne Nerpa attack submarine is to be leased by Russia for 10 years under a $650-million pact signed in January 2004.While the Russians are ready for the year-end delivery, the latest setback has pushed the new delivery date to April 2011.
This is the third setback for India concerning the delivery of the Nerpa submarine from Russia and it seems that India’s aim to operate a nuclear submarine is constantly getting delayed. The Nerpa submarine was initially slated for lease to India in mid-2008 but due to an accident on board the under-trial submarine followed by further refits and changes, the submarine was scheduled for delivery this year-end.
The Nerpa has a 110-metre length and due to its advanced nature and a major reduction of its acoustic noises by Russian experts, it is the quietest and deadliest of all Russian nuclear-powered submarines. Since the Nerpa submarine is nuclear-powered, it can remain under water for 100 days and need not have to surface at all to take in air. This is the decisive edge that the Nerpa submarine holds over the other conventional diesel-electric powered submarine.
India is expected to arm the Nerpa submarine with indigenous long-range nuclear-capable missiles. The Nerpa is already fitted with sophisticated navigation, sonar and hydraulic systems. The submarine is capable of maximum submerged speed of 33 knots and a surface speed of 10 knots. The submarine is rated for a diving depth of 600 metres.
For the Indian Navy, the Nerpa submarine will fulfil the much-needed strategic edge. India’s quest for a nuclear submarine has undergone a long wait. In the past, India leased a Charlie I class nuclear submarine from the Soviet Union from 1988 to 1991. Hence, the Indian Navy has last operated a nuclear submarine almost two decades ago. The Nerpa submarine is considered crucial since it will fill the operational gap between now and the entry of the indigenously built nuclear-submarine INS Arihant. The INS Arihant is expected to enter the fleet of Indian Navy by 2012.
Indian defence news and strategic intelligence
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