From DefenseNews

 

[excerpt]

 

India Sails Russian-Built Nuke Sub Home

Jan. 23, 2012 - 07:44AM

By AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

 

NEW DELHI — Indian navy personnel will take command of the country's first nuclear-powered submarine in two decades on Monday after collecting the vessel near the Russian port of Vladivostok, an official said.

Me thinks they will attempt to reverse-engineer many of the systems to work the bugs out of the Arihant SSBN. What are the thoughts of the forum?

 

FWFS,

Greg Emerson, DM1(SW), USN-Retired

Renton, WA, USA

Me thinks they will attempt to reverse-engineer many of the systems to work the bugs out of the Arihant SSBN. What are the thoughts of the forum?

 

The nuclear powered sub effort in India has been going off and on for the better part of 40 years now. (Well, mostly 'on', I suppose, but for the diversion of funding and scientific effort away from the nuclear propulsion and onto the development of nuclear warheads). They sought to exploit the first Chakra, that old Charlie I, and I'm sure they will be eager to do the same with the new Chakra (ex Nerpa). Nothing happens quickly with the Indian nuclear sub program, that's for sure. What did it take em to get their hands on Nerpa? Six or more years of wrangling?

From RIA Novosti

 

[excerpt]

 

Russian Nuclear Sub to Arrive in India on March 30-31

11:41 21/02/2012

NEW DELHI, February 21 (RIA Novosti)

 

A Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine, the K-152 Nerpa, which has been leased to the Indian Navy, will arrive in that country on March 30-31, a source in the Indian Defense Ministry reported.

From RIA Novosti

 

[excerpt]

 

India to Commission Russia’s Nerpa Nuclear Sub

02:59 04/04/2012

MOSCOW, April 4 (RIA Novosti)

 

The Indian Navy will officially commission Russia’s K-152 Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine on Wednesday, an unnamed source in the Indian Defense Ministry told RIA Novosti.

 

CV32 : Chakra II will now finally appear in the HCDB. Any thoughts on what mix of weapons is sitting in the 650mm torpedo tubes these days?

Besides standard Russian heavy torpedoes, I would think the Nerpa was probably upgraded to carry the sub-launched version of the Switchblade (SS-N-25 "Club-S) missile. It's probably also capable of minelaying as well.

 

FWFS,

Greg

From Defense Aerospace

 

[excerpt]

 

But INS Chakra, propelled by a 190MW nuclear reactor for a maximum speed of around 30 knots, will give India the capability to deploy a potent weapons delivery platform at a place of its choosing at long distances in stealth. It is armed with 300 km Klub-S land-attack cruise missiles and advanced torpedoes. "We can outrun and overcome any adversary in our neighbourhood," said a confident INS Chakra's captain P Ashokan.

[emphasis mine]

Good confirmation. Interesting, have you seen that India wants to have as man as five nike boats by the end of the decade? Granted the IN overestimates and usually is pretty boastful. I just don't see the Russian handing over more of its subs, when they are beginning to fall on tough economic times and their sub program is not firing on all cylinders. What says the forum?

 

FWFS,

Greg

I'm with your opinion, Greg. Also, Russia has too few nuclear subs to lease other boats.

We should see more about the Indian SSBN Arihant, and also about the long time running (from 1979) and discrete Brazilian SNBR/SBR/Aramar (IOC 2021? 6000 tons?)nuclear submarine programme.

Almost no data in the Net about the Brazilian programme, a very short mention in the habitually very fine Brazilian site Sistemas de Armas:

http://sistemasdearmas.com.br/nav/modmbnegacao.html

No fim de 2008 a MB assinou um contrato com a DCNS francesa para a compra de quatro submarinos derivados classe Scorpene (chamado SBR), com opção para mais dois, e o apoio no desenvolvimento de um submarino nuclear (chamado de SNBR). O SBR terá leme traseiro em X no lugar do leme em cruz e sistema de comando SUBTICS e armado com torpedos IF-21 Black Shark.

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Brazil...SSKs-SSN-05217/

http://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/...lear-submarines

http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=56577

People might also want to note the recent Indian ICBM test.