 |
| INS Visakhapatnam ( Image credits- Internet Image) |
As India launches it's newest Destroyer, the stealthy INS Visakhapatnam, it is time to reflect on the quiet transformation that is taking place for the Indian navy.Indian Navy is in the process of inducting several ships that is highly capable that will see the Indian navy transforming itself to a young and a highly capable force having the capability to project force far away from it's shores achieving a truly blue water capability.
OVERVIEW
The legacy of the Indian navy dates back to the British raj when as part of the Royal Navy, the Indian navy played a crucial role during the second world war. Soon after the independence, the Royal Indian Navy was partitioned into two parts and assets divided between India and Pakistan. Those were transformative years for the navy. After India became a republic, the navy came to be known as the Indian Navy, dropping the Royal prefix. At this time, the ships of the Indian Navy was based mainly on world war-2 vintage. In the year 1957, India inducted it's first Air Craft Carrier, The mighty INS Vikrant (R-11). In the 1971 war, the attacks on the Karachi Harbour showed the real mettle of the Indian Navy.
But being in the transformative years, the navy was always seen as the younger of the three services having major resources going to the army closely followed by the Air Force and then lastly the navy. With the advent of the liberalisation, India's trade with the international community jumped many fold. India started relying mostly on the sea for her trade and to quench the vast appetite for resources including petroleum products to run it's ever hungry growing economy.
At the same time, many geopolitical facts began to emerge. The USSR which was the main ally for India disappeared and India slowly started the process of reorientation of it's policies to align with emerging political realities. India also started the calculated process of enhancing ties with the sole super power , the United States of America. If the economy was the driving force in the growth of these ties, the navy found itself in the centre of the changing dynamics of international politics. The annual exercise with navies of other countries including that of the United States ( The Malabar series of exercises) and the Varuna series of exercises with the French Navy became an annual affair. This ensured greater interoperability and coordination with these navies and the series of confidence building measures ensured that these was a greater level of trust on the capabilities and the intentions of the Indian navy among the international community.
India also carefully started using the Indian navy as an instrument to enhance it's own international prestige by taking up humanitarian operations during natural disasters. The notion of India and the Indian navy as a soft power which can be trusted gained ground within and outside the Indian Ocean region. But the ships and assets used by the Indian navy was of international origin mostly sourced from former USSR and Britain. The Indian navy always kept a lead when it came to capabilities compared to the Chinese PLAN. The fact that the Indian navy always followed the procedures that it inherited from Britain also ensured that it was upto date with the latest procedures followed by the western navies. But the world has a habit of changing fast with greater challenges coming our way in the form of PLAN. China with it's fast pace of growth started rebuilding it's naval assets that saw the transformation from essentially a brown water navy to a blue water navy with significant capabilities. China also started investing in the development of ports in the Indian Ocean region, starting from the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka to the Gwadar port in Pakistan which always had the tone of duality ensuring that these ports can be used as a refueling and replenishing station for the PLAN by which the capabilities and the range of the Chinese navy greatly enhanced. China also started articulating the policy of Maritime Silk route that has the potential to erode the influence that India enjoys in the Indian Ocean region.
These are the emerging challenges for the India and something it cannot ignore. But geography favours India. With it's strategic position sitting right in the centre of the Indian Ocean and having air and naval bases dotting the coast especially South Peninsular India, India ensures that it can project power any where in the Indian Ocean, a power that cannot be ignored or bypassed in any emerging world order especially one concerning the Indian Ocean. China over the years has tend to be aggressive in it's territorial claim showing off it's capabilities and intimidating it's smaller neighbours. This has created a counter move by which all those countries ranging from Japan to Vietnam to the United States to India is now cooperating to see and ensure that there is free flow of trade and resources, in a way a counter balance to China. Even though such an alliance is in it's nascent stages, it is bound to grow stronger over the time. What is the corner stone of such an alliance is that there will be a shared usage of resources thus ensuring that there is no substantial investment in resources and you have a greater availability of assets on the ground. It seems to be the strategy unlike that followed by the Chinese who is in the process of inducing many ships. Such large scale induction cannot be followed by any country. The Chinese has in a way mastered the art of mass production which they are now utilising for inducting newer platforms that are highly capable. But the advantage India has over the Chinese is that India has unrestricted access to the technology of almost all the countries. That entails India getting the best weapon system for their ships from around the world.
The Indian navy on the other hand is also in the process of transformation with the rapid development and induction of highly capable platforms which includes the stealth Shivalik class of Frigates , Kolkata Class of Destroyers and Kamorta class of Corvettes. But it seems the Indian navy is one of the most under rated navy in the Indian Ocean region. It is mainly not because of the capability of our force but because of the fact that India is seen a s a soft power and not as a threat to anybody. While the launch of each and every new ship by the Chinese PLAN is covered by the international media, little or no attention is paid to the quiet transformation by the Indian navy that is making great strides in itself. The Indian navy is highly capable and will in times to come will give the Chinese navy a stiff challenge.
THE PATH TO INDIGENISATION
The Indian navy has to it's credit being the first of the three services which embraced indigenisation of assets. This ensured careful nurturing for the growth of capabilities to build naval assets especially ships within India by the Indian ship yards relying less on foreign ship yards to get the job done. The first major warship to be built in India is the Nilgiri Class frigate ( a modified version of the Leander Class British Frigate). That was followed by the Godavari Class Frigate and then the Brahmaputra Class. All those ships were built upon the previous class of ships with the Indian navy and the ship yards enhancing their experience in building warships.
The next break through came in the form of the legendary Delhi Class Destroyers These destroyers were the first major platforms to be designed and built in India. They derive considerably from the Soviet and Western influences, a hall mark of modern Indian weapon platforms which is a combination of Western and Russian weapon and sensor complexes. For the Indian navy, the path to indigenisation was a learning curve, with the Navy's Directorate of Naval Design acting as the nodal agency in conceiving and designing high end platforms. They have over the years incorporated the latest technology for designing warships including the latest 3-D Computer designing, over the years acquiring the reputation for developing one of the most advanced ships in the world. The next evolution came in the form of the Shivalik Class of Stealth Frigates which introduced a whole new generation of ships comparable to the best available anywhere in the world. These ships were supported by high tech sensors and weapon systems sourced from as diverse countries as Israel to the countries of Europe. India also has simultaneously been developing other class of ships like Landing Ship Tanks to facilitate deployment of troops at the time of war.
The Indian navy is now entering a new age of rapid modernisation with the induction of a whole new generation of assets that includes the Kolkata Class Destroyers, the upcoming Visakhapatnam Class destroyers under Project-15(B), the new Project-17(A) class Frigates , the Project-28 Kamorta Class Corvettes and Project-28 (A) class follow on Corvettes and a whole new generation of ships, Vikrant class of Air Craft Carriers including INS Vishal , submarines and other vessels that will see the Indian navy being transformed into a lean and mean force with significant blue water capabilities.
MAJOR SHIPS BEING DEVELOPED OR IN THE PROCESS OF INDUCTION ( THE FUTURE FACE OF THE INDIAN NAVY) :
AIR CRAFT CARRIERS:
India has a long history of operating Air Craft Carriers. Staring from the venerable INS Vikrant (R-11) to the INS Viraat (R-22) to the Russian Carrier INS Vikramaditya (R-33), India holds unbroken experience of operating Air Craft Carriers. How ever all those carriers had a foreign origin. Now India is investing big time in the development of indigenous capability in developing Air Craft Carriers, the first of which being INS Vikrant (R-44) taking shape at Cochin. What sets the future is the slow evolution from STOVL and Short take off and arrested landing (STOBAR) employed in the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant to CATOBAR configuration being considered for INS Vishal and the follow on Air Craft Carriers ensuring greater capability to deploy wider range of Air Crafts increasing lethality. The air compliment in the Carriers will be in the form of Mig-29 , Naval Tejas and future air components that is being considered including the future AMCA being developed by India.
DESTROYERS
India designed and constructed it's first indigenous Destroyer, The Delhi Class. From then on, there is an evolution of the design and construction of these capital ships with Kolkata Class being the first Destroyer designed by India with high degree of stealth and also packed with advanced sensors and weapon suites. They include the AESA radar, The Israeli IAI Elta EL/M-2248 MF-STAR which is one of the most advanced of it's kind in the world comparable to the American AEGIS Combat system along with Barak-8 Medium long range Ship to Air Defence Missile and also Brahmos cruise missile. They will be followed by the Project-15 (B) Visakhapatnam class Destroyer having having more capability and including enhanced stealth features will also be equipped with Nirbhay Cruise Missile.
FRIGATES
After the successful development of the Project-17 Shivalik stealth Frigates, the next generation of Frigates under the Project- 17(A) is in the process of being made. The weapon suite will more or less be the same as the Visakhapatnam Destroyers.
CORVETTES
The Kamorta and it's follow on classes will ensure that Indian Navy will be most capable force in the world.
SUBMARINES
For any country to exercise complete sea control, what is required are capable submarines. India's first class of submarines are the Kalvari(old) class of submarines. Subsequently, India brought into service the Sindhughosh class submarine (Kilo class) and also the Shishumar class of submarines. They ought to have been replaced by the submarines under the Project-75 and also the follow on project-75I submarines. But due to varied reasons including procurement problems and also tardy decision making of the UPA government, the entire induction went haywire. India is now left with on 15 Submarines of which only 8 are available, gross inadequacy and that too at a time when India's arch rivals China and Pakistan are going all out to induct highly capable submarines. But there is a silver lining on the horizon with the Scorpene improved Kalvari class on the verge of induction and also the present government starting the process for the next generation of submarines under the Project-75I. India is also in the process of inducting nuclear powered Arihant and follow on classes of SSBN and SSN which will greatly enhance the capability of the Indian navy.
SSBN/SSN
For India it's tryst with nuclear propulsion came in the form of Chakra-1 Nuclear powered Submarine that India leased from the former Soviet Union. India also initiated a project under the advanced technology vehicle which lead to the development of India's first nuclear powered dedicated Ballistic Missile Submarine, The Arihant Class of SSBN, the first of which INS Arihant is already in sea trials. They will carry the nuclear tipped K-Family of Missiles. They will be followed by more capable Arihant Follow on class of SSBN which will be twice the size of Arihant.
India is also simultaneously developing six nuclear powered attack submarines (SSN) which will make sure that India has one of the best and most lethal nuclear powered submarine fleet in the world.
CONVENTIONALLY POWERED SUBMARINES (SSK)
India is in the process of inducting a whole new generation of conventionally powered submarines. Starting with the P75 Scorpene class to the soon to be ordered P75 India class which will see a whole new generation of submarines being inducted into the force. These boats will qualitatively enhance the capabilities of the Indian Navy. But all the above subs ven though to be made by Indian ship builders rely on foreign design. But Project 75i will probably be the last foreign design to be ordered by the Indian navy. From now on, all the subs will be designed inside India using the in house capabilities.
MINE COUNTER MEASURES VESSELS
India has ordered the Goa Ship Yard to make 12 of these but have a qualitatively bigger demand which will see the the number of the ships ordered being far greater.
TANKERS/ MULTI ROLE SUPPORT VESSELS
India is also the in process of ordering four tankers /oilers to support long range deployment of naval task force. India will order five or more Troop carriers possibly Landing Helicopter Docks under the project "Multi Role Support Vessel" that will ensure deployment of Marine forces to far away lands.
CONCLUSION
Indian navy is in the midst of a major transformation. After the entire process is completed in a decade or two, Indian navy will become one of the most powerful and one of the most capable forces not only in the Indian Ocean region but in the entire world. It also has the added advantage of having close coordination with the major navies of the world including the United States and the French navies. It's growing cooperation with the countries of South East Asia especially Vietnam will ensure that it will have a toe hold in the South China sea.
In the long run, Indian navy will emerge as the guarantor of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region ensuring free navigation of vessels. Indian navy is truly the guardian of the Indian Ocean and as an Indian I am proud of their accomplishments.
JAI HIND
But being in the transformative years, the navy was always seen as the younger of the three services having major resources going to the army closely followed by the Air Force and then lastly the navy. With the advent of the liberalisation, India's trade with the international community jumped many fold. India started relying mostly on the sea for her trade and to quench the vast appetite for resources including petroleum products to run it's ever hungry growing economy.
At the same time, many geopolitical facts began to emerge. The USSR which was the main ally for India disappeared and India slowly started the process of reorientation of it's policies to align with emerging political realities. India also started the calculated process of enhancing ties with the sole super power , the United States of America. If the economy was the driving force in the growth of these ties, the navy found itself in the centre of the changing dynamics of international politics. The annual exercise with navies of other countries including that of the United States ( The Malabar series of exercises) and the Varuna series of exercises with the French Navy became an annual affair. This ensured greater interoperability and coordination with these navies and the series of confidence building measures ensured that these was a greater level of trust on the capabilities and the intentions of the Indian navy among the international community.
India also carefully started using the Indian navy as an instrument to enhance it's own international prestige by taking up humanitarian operations during natural disasters. The notion of India and the Indian navy as a soft power which can be trusted gained ground within and outside the Indian Ocean region. But the ships and assets used by the Indian navy was of international origin mostly sourced from former USSR and Britain. The Indian navy always kept a lead when it came to capabilities compared to the Chinese PLAN. The fact that the Indian navy always followed the procedures that it inherited from Britain also ensured that it was upto date with the latest procedures followed by the western navies. But the world has a habit of changing fast with greater challenges coming our way in the form of PLAN. China with it's fast pace of growth started rebuilding it's naval assets that saw the transformation from essentially a brown water navy to a blue water navy with significant capabilities. China also started investing in the development of ports in the Indian Ocean region, starting from the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka to the Gwadar port in Pakistan which always had the tone of duality ensuring that these ports can be used as a refueling and replenishing station for the PLAN by which the capabilities and the range of the Chinese navy greatly enhanced. China also started articulating the policy of Maritime Silk route that has the potential to erode the influence that India enjoys in the Indian Ocean region.
These are the emerging challenges for the India and something it cannot ignore. But geography favours India. With it's strategic position sitting right in the centre of the Indian Ocean and having air and naval bases dotting the coast especially South Peninsular India, India ensures that it can project power any where in the Indian Ocean, a power that cannot be ignored or bypassed in any emerging world order especially one concerning the Indian Ocean. China over the years has tend to be aggressive in it's territorial claim showing off it's capabilities and intimidating it's smaller neighbours. This has created a counter move by which all those countries ranging from Japan to Vietnam to the United States to India is now cooperating to see and ensure that there is free flow of trade and resources, in a way a counter balance to China. Even though such an alliance is in it's nascent stages, it is bound to grow stronger over the time. What is the corner stone of such an alliance is that there will be a shared usage of resources thus ensuring that there is no substantial investment in resources and you have a greater availability of assets on the ground. It seems to be the strategy unlike that followed by the Chinese who is in the process of inducing many ships. Such large scale induction cannot be followed by any country. The Chinese has in a way mastered the art of mass production which they are now utilising for inducting newer platforms that are highly capable. But the advantage India has over the Chinese is that India has unrestricted access to the technology of almost all the countries. That entails India getting the best weapon system for their ships from around the world.
The Indian navy on the other hand is also in the process of transformation with the rapid development and induction of highly capable platforms which includes the stealth Shivalik class of Frigates , Kolkata Class of Destroyers and Kamorta class of Corvettes. But it seems the Indian navy is one of the most under rated navy in the Indian Ocean region. It is mainly not because of the capability of our force but because of the fact that India is seen a s a soft power and not as a threat to anybody. While the launch of each and every new ship by the Chinese PLAN is covered by the international media, little or no attention is paid to the quiet transformation by the Indian navy that is making great strides in itself. The Indian navy is highly capable and will in times to come will give the Chinese navy a stiff challenge.
THE PATH TO INDIGENISATION
The Indian navy has to it's credit being the first of the three services which embraced indigenisation of assets. This ensured careful nurturing for the growth of capabilities to build naval assets especially ships within India by the Indian ship yards relying less on foreign ship yards to get the job done. The first major warship to be built in India is the Nilgiri Class frigate ( a modified version of the Leander Class British Frigate). That was followed by the Godavari Class Frigate and then the Brahmaputra Class. All those ships were built upon the previous class of ships with the Indian navy and the ship yards enhancing their experience in building warships.
The next break through came in the form of the legendary Delhi Class Destroyers These destroyers were the first major platforms to be designed and built in India. They derive considerably from the Soviet and Western influences, a hall mark of modern Indian weapon platforms which is a combination of Western and Russian weapon and sensor complexes. For the Indian navy, the path to indigenisation was a learning curve, with the Navy's Directorate of Naval Design acting as the nodal agency in conceiving and designing high end platforms. They have over the years incorporated the latest technology for designing warships including the latest 3-D Computer designing, over the years acquiring the reputation for developing one of the most advanced ships in the world. The next evolution came in the form of the Shivalik Class of Stealth Frigates which introduced a whole new generation of ships comparable to the best available anywhere in the world. These ships were supported by high tech sensors and weapon systems sourced from as diverse countries as Israel to the countries of Europe. India also has simultaneously been developing other class of ships like Landing Ship Tanks to facilitate deployment of troops at the time of war.
The Indian navy is now entering a new age of rapid modernisation with the induction of a whole new generation of assets that includes the Kolkata Class Destroyers, the upcoming Visakhapatnam Class destroyers under Project-15(B), the new Project-17(A) class Frigates , the Project-28 Kamorta Class Corvettes and Project-28 (A) class follow on Corvettes and a whole new generation of ships, Vikrant class of Air Craft Carriers including INS Vishal , submarines and other vessels that will see the Indian navy being transformed into a lean and mean force with significant blue water capabilities.
MAJOR SHIPS BEING DEVELOPED OR IN THE PROCESS OF INDUCTION ( THE FUTURE FACE OF THE INDIAN NAVY) :
AIR CRAFT CARRIERS:
India has a long history of operating Air Craft Carriers. Staring from the venerable INS Vikrant (R-11) to the INS Viraat (R-22) to the Russian Carrier INS Vikramaditya (R-33), India holds unbroken experience of operating Air Craft Carriers. How ever all those carriers had a foreign origin. Now India is investing big time in the development of indigenous capability in developing Air Craft Carriers, the first of which being INS Vikrant (R-44) taking shape at Cochin. What sets the future is the slow evolution from STOVL and Short take off and arrested landing (STOBAR) employed in the INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant to CATOBAR configuration being considered for INS Vishal and the follow on Air Craft Carriers ensuring greater capability to deploy wider range of Air Crafts increasing lethality. The air compliment in the Carriers will be in the form of Mig-29 , Naval Tejas and future air components that is being considered including the future AMCA being developed by India.
DESTROYERS
India designed and constructed it's first indigenous Destroyer, The Delhi Class. From then on, there is an evolution of the design and construction of these capital ships with Kolkata Class being the first Destroyer designed by India with high degree of stealth and also packed with advanced sensors and weapon suites. They include the AESA radar, The Israeli IAI Elta EL/M-2248 MF-STAR which is one of the most advanced of it's kind in the world comparable to the American AEGIS Combat system along with Barak-8 Medium long range Ship to Air Defence Missile and also Brahmos cruise missile. They will be followed by the Project-15 (B) Visakhapatnam class Destroyer having having more capability and including enhanced stealth features will also be equipped with Nirbhay Cruise Missile.
FRIGATES
After the successful development of the Project-17 Shivalik stealth Frigates, the next generation of Frigates under the Project- 17(A) is in the process of being made. The weapon suite will more or less be the same as the Visakhapatnam Destroyers.
CORVETTES
The Kamorta and it's follow on classes will ensure that Indian Navy will be most capable force in the world.
SUBMARINES
For any country to exercise complete sea control, what is required are capable submarines. India's first class of submarines are the Kalvari(old) class of submarines. Subsequently, India brought into service the Sindhughosh class submarine (Kilo class) and also the Shishumar class of submarines. They ought to have been replaced by the submarines under the Project-75 and also the follow on project-75I submarines. But due to varied reasons including procurement problems and also tardy decision making of the UPA government, the entire induction went haywire. India is now left with on 15 Submarines of which only 8 are available, gross inadequacy and that too at a time when India's arch rivals China and Pakistan are going all out to induct highly capable submarines. But there is a silver lining on the horizon with the Scorpene improved Kalvari class on the verge of induction and also the present government starting the process for the next generation of submarines under the Project-75I. India is also in the process of inducting nuclear powered Arihant and follow on classes of SSBN and SSN which will greatly enhance the capability of the Indian navy.
SSBN/SSN
For India it's tryst with nuclear propulsion came in the form of Chakra-1 Nuclear powered Submarine that India leased from the former Soviet Union. India also initiated a project under the advanced technology vehicle which lead to the development of India's first nuclear powered dedicated Ballistic Missile Submarine, The Arihant Class of SSBN, the first of which INS Arihant is already in sea trials. They will carry the nuclear tipped K-Family of Missiles. They will be followed by more capable Arihant Follow on class of SSBN which will be twice the size of Arihant.
India is also simultaneously developing six nuclear powered attack submarines (SSN) which will make sure that India has one of the best and most lethal nuclear powered submarine fleet in the world.
CONVENTIONALLY POWERED SUBMARINES (SSK)
India is in the process of inducting a whole new generation of conventionally powered submarines. Starting with the P75 Scorpene class to the soon to be ordered P75 India class which will see a whole new generation of submarines being inducted into the force. These boats will qualitatively enhance the capabilities of the Indian Navy. But all the above subs ven though to be made by Indian ship builders rely on foreign design. But Project 75i will probably be the last foreign design to be ordered by the Indian navy. From now on, all the subs will be designed inside India using the in house capabilities.
MINE COUNTER MEASURES VESSELS
India has ordered the Goa Ship Yard to make 12 of these but have a qualitatively bigger demand which will see the the number of the ships ordered being far greater.
TANKERS/ MULTI ROLE SUPPORT VESSELS
India is also the in process of ordering four tankers /oilers to support long range deployment of naval task force. India will order five or more Troop carriers possibly Landing Helicopter Docks under the project "Multi Role Support Vessel" that will ensure deployment of Marine forces to far away lands.
CONCLUSION
Indian navy is in the midst of a major transformation. After the entire process is completed in a decade or two, Indian navy will become one of the most powerful and one of the most capable forces not only in the Indian Ocean region but in the entire world. It also has the added advantage of having close coordination with the major navies of the world including the United States and the French navies. It's growing cooperation with the countries of South East Asia especially Vietnam will ensure that it will have a toe hold in the South China sea.
In the long run, Indian navy will emerge as the guarantor of peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region ensuring free navigation of vessels. Indian navy is truly the guardian of the Indian Ocean and as an Indian I am proud of their accomplishments.
JAI HIND
Comments