Keen to maintain its operational readiness despite delay in the submarine acquisition plan, the Navy has opted for upgrade of its existing fleet and the first Russian made platform INS Sindhukesri will undergo major refit and life certification (MRlC). The submarine will reach Russia in May-end and go through the two year overhaul costing nearly Rs1,000 crore.
Meanwhile, INS Sindhuratna, which saw a major fire leading to the death of two officers on February 26, 2014, has undergone a complete overhaul in Mumbai. The submarine is expected to join service after ongoing operational trials. The then Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi had resigned after the accident owning moral responsibility. Another submarine INS Sindhurakshak witnessed blasts on August 14, 2013 claiming the life of 18 navy personnel.
At present, the Navy has 15 submarines and most of them are in the final stage of their operational life. Delay in the manufacturing and delivery schedule of four Scorpene submarines made the Navy exercise the option of upgrade, sources said on Wednesday.
Soon after the NDA Government came to power, Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared the project of refit and life certification in 2014 for six submarines at an overall cost of Rs4,800 crore. Given the climbing rate of dollar, the price for upgrade of each submarine will now touch Rs1,000 crore, they said. INS Sindhukesri is the first submarine to sail to Russia for overhaul after the DAC nod.
This submarine inducted into service in 1989 has already seen one mid life upgrade. The forthcoming overhaul will also see life certification by the original manufacturer and if the inner hull, the critical component of the submarine, is not found up to the mark, the refit may not take place, they said.
Elaborating the need for this option, they said the Navy’s 30-year submarine plan framed in 1999 envisaged 24 submarines. However, delays and cost overruns hampered the fleet strength. Moreover, the global tender for six conventional submarines to be built here under the ‘Make in India’ policy is yet to be floated, they pointed out. The total cost of this project named P-75I is more than Rs50,000 crore.
The first Scorpene submarine renamed INS Kalvri, now undergoing diving trials at Mazagon Dockyards(MDl), Mumbai is likely to be inducted into the Navy by July this year followed by next three submarines joining service at a gap of six months each.
Sources said if this schedule is adhered to, the Navy will be able to maintain its force levels and may not go in for mid-life upgrades of older submarines as this process is expensive. Incidentally, the first of the nine Sindhu series of submarines were inducted in 1986 and last platform joined in 2000. With an average life of 40 years, the Navy will not overhaul the older submarines and retire them and go for refit of relatively newer platforms, they said.
Incidentally, the sea trials of the first indigenously designed and manufactured nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant are on and the first of four such submarines are expected to become operational next year. At present, Russian-made nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra is in the Indian Navy fleet. The submarine was inducted three years back on a ten year lease.