Nuclear Submarine To Be Launched By India

The Financial Times:

India is expected to launch a locally built nuclear-powered submarine later this month, making it one of only a handful of countries with the technology to produce such a vessel.

Read the whole story: The Financial Times

Comments

[tropos]

Built in India based on old Soviet/Russian tech? Looks like a disaster waiting to happen!

[1differentdrummer]

What else would they do with that money, feed people?

[Sanskar Shrivastava]

Well India seriously needs to expand its navy. And this is a great step taken by India, India needed it to become a true blue water navy

[Ishmael1]

The Akula-II-class that this sub is based on is a 20-year-old Russian design linked here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akula_class_submarine

The key question is whether the Russians included any of their more up to date sonar suites or fire control equipment. It also leaves Russia with the newer Graney-class SSNs as a followup and counter, and equivalent to the Seawolf class in the US navy.

What most surprises me about this story is that India would put this money into a noisier boat like a nuclear-powered Akula instead of the newer generation of advanced Diesel-electric boats like this class here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%B6dermanland_class_submarine

Wargames conducted by the US Navy a few years ago against one of these boats showed that they were virtually undetectable by passive sonar systems. As shown in the article, these boats have the capability to stay submerged for weeks instead of hours making them a much cheaper, much more effective and harder to detect platform.

[watchTVgetSTUPID]

Unlimited power means the Nuke sub can move fast. One sub guided to sea targets detected by India's satellite images can quickly catch up to all Pakistani shipping in a large region.

[Khirad]

This is the sub's wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Chakra

There was an article a year or two ago - i wish I could remember it - which outlined India's rise as a naval power (or at least its wish to become one).

They have a ways to go, but it is in our interest not just in the Indian Ocean region, but to offset China.

[jsarets]

The LOX/deisel sterling engine is pretty neat, but cryogenic liquids aren't storage for long durations.

I wonder why they don't use a hydrazine (N2H4) engine like the Space Shuttle APU. It produces 135hp from an 88lb engine through catalytic reaction of a storable liquid fuel without an oxidizer.

[Gewyne]

Looks like hte stage is being set, China, India, USA and Russia will be the big boys in the playground with Brazil and maybe a few trading blocs brinign up the rear - now the question is what are the rules going to be and do we wear gloves or not ?

[HekmabaJuzimax]

I already have my seat reserved. It should be a lot of fun!

[GEM-592]

locally built from imported Russian technology ...

[PWM]

I think it is time India get a seat on the Security Council.

[Khirad]

Been about time for a while. It's absurd. And maybe Brazil, too.