India is scrambling to upgrade its naval fleet, with a recent decision to launch a USD 5.4 billion project to construct six new, nuclear-powered submarines.
These will be a new class of submarines, distinct from the indigenously built Arihant class.
Ostensibly, the move is aimed at countering the growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean region and marks Indian efforts to modernize its navy while boosting domestic weapons-making capabilities.
It has been reported that India is keen to build six such submarines, with the go-ahead being given for the construction of the first two in the series by the Modi government.
All the while, India seems to have an eye on the growing might of the Chinese Navy, already the largest in the world with 370 ships.
Nuclear submarines enjoy an edge over diesel-electric submarines, in that they are faster, quieter, and can remain submerged for long periods without the need for repeated resurfacing.
These features make nuclear-powered submarines harder to detect and hunt down, making them one of the premier and most potent class of weapons in the world, which are only produced by a handful of nations such as China, Russia, the US, and France.
In addition, the Indian navy also operates the French Scorpene diesel-electric submarines, as well as the Arihant class nuclear submarines.
Previously, India had leased and operated the gigantic Akula class nuclear submarines from Russia, and is now in talks to lease one more.
Nuclear-powered submarines generally carry medium and long-range Ballistic Missiles with multiple nuclear warheads, giving them the capability of launching a preemptive strike, or a second strike, as the case may be.
Thus, more nuclear weapons are being introduced into the region, even as the Indian Ocean is being nuclearized to give India primacy.
Coupled with aircraft carriers and the twin-engine Su-30 MKI aircraft on deck, the Indian navy is shaping up to become a formidable force, led by its growing fleet of nuclear submarines.
By contrast, Pakistan's fledgling navy relies on an aging fleet of Agosta submarines, which are set to be augmented with 8 Hangor Class diesel-electric submarines, four of which are to be built in Pakistan.
Even though Pakistan developed the technology to carry and fire nuclear-capable cruise missiles from its Agosta submarines, the balance of power is already tilted heavily in India's favor on the high seas.
Maintaining nuclear-powered submarines allows the Indian navy to take up positions at stand-off range and to bleed the Pakistani navy, making it come to them.
India will be further looking to pair these submarines with the Agni 4 and the Agni 5 missile systems, giving them a decisive edge in any future standoff with Pakistan.
At the same time, a large fleet of nuclear-powered submarines will allow the Indias to efficiently break up their armada into squadrons and flotillas, thereby allowing them to more efficiently police both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
With naval bases in Andaman and Nicobar at the mouth of the Strait of Malacca, India already has the primacy of the Bay of Bengal.
However, its logistics lines in the Arabian Sea are more suspect and hostile, with Pakistan and Iran both looking to protect their territories.
With US and UK naval fleets operating in the Persian Gulf and Diego Garcia, the Indian Ocean is poised to become among the most heavily nuclearized oceans on earth.
Given that India, in recent times, has shown a decided tilt towards the US and NATO, it can no longer serve Russian interests in the Indian Ocean region.
Increasingly, Russia will have to set a counterweight by supplying and arming the Pakistani and Iranian navies, if it aims at retaining some control of the Indian Ocean and Africa going into the future.
This means that it is poised to make full use of Gwadar and Karachi in the coming times, while Pakistan will find little option but to strengthen the naval portion of its nuclear triad, seeking to induct its own fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.
For its part, India will step up patrols in the Arabian Sea spearheaded by attack formations comprising aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines.
India is poised to play a far more active and central role in the Middle East, without any opposition or resistance coming from Arab navies.
ReplyForward |
No comments:
Post a Comment