Indian Navy Developments & Discussions

[nandu]

World sea life researchers seek way out of defence hurdle

A French research sailboat is now docked off the Gateway of India, the scientists on board seeking ways to overcome a hurdle that has come in the way of their mission - the first ever to track the marine ecosystem of the world.

Indian defence authorities have not allowed the scientists aboard Tara Oceans to work in Indian waters. They are now hoping the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa will provide them the details they need, and plan to make do with samples collected from beyond the limits.

“It is unfortunate that we couldn’t get due permission to collect water samples within about 200 nautical miles of India. We plan to collect samples from outside this limit to get an understanding of Indian water. We are also trying to rope in a few scientists from the NIO who can join us later,” said Chirs Bowler, who is heading the expedition in India.

Permission had not been granted in Oman either, said Bowler, a scientist with the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).

The three-year expedition is studying deep water ecosystems and how marine life has adapted to environmental stress. Since it set sail from France on September 5, Tara has travelled 15,000 nautical miles with 20 stops before touching Mumbai.

Having crossed the Mediterranean Sea, the boat has about 65,000 nautical miles to cover. The plan includes the Indian Ocean in the first year, the South Atlantic and the South Pacific in the second, the northern hemisphere in the third. The expedition’s cost is estimated at 10 million euros.

The boat will be docked in Mumbai till Saturday before moving to Goa briefly and then going to the Maldives.

“At any given time we have six scientists on board taking samples of seawater from various levels below 100 metres. In certain regions, where sunlight can penetrate and nutrients are found, planktons grow in abundance. These planktons are very sensitive to ecological changes and can give us a lot of insight into the ecosystem. Our expedition aims to create a database for future scientists,” said Bowler.

The study includes collection of and reports on microscopic organisms less than 2mm in size. It will also document sea temperatures, salinity and acidity at different spots. The information will be posted on the web.

Six sailors and two journalists are accompanying the six scientists.

http://www.indianexpress.com

 

[nitesh]

Aggressive plans: Navy to acquire fighter planes, subs

 

[nandu]

23 saved from burning ship

VASCO: In a late-night rescue mission off the coast of Goa, ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard rescued the 23 crew members of MV Maersk Miami, a container carrier whose engine room caught fire on Friday night. The efforts were assisted by merchant vessels also in the area, a press note issued by the defence ministry states.

Responding to the distress call received at 7.33pm from the vessel that was 43 nautical miles west off Goa and was headed for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai, authorities at the coast guard headquarters (West) alerted naval authorities in Mumbai and Goa as well as the coast guard in Goa.

Activating an international safety net to alert merchant ships in the area, so that initial assistance could be provided to the burning ship, a Goa-based naval team, with medical officers on board, set sail for the vessel in distress. The coast guard too launched an interceptor boat and diverted the MV Maersk Miami which was patrolling off the west coast. MV Aranda Colossus and MV Chimes, sailing in the area, were also asked to render assistance.

By midnight the naval and coast guard ships reached the ship in distress and by 2am the fire had been doused and the crew rescued.

Samrat, which reached at 7am, was used to transport the crew to sister ships, MV Maersk Dauphin and MV Nedllyod Africa. The owners of MV Maersk Miami have dispatched two ocean going tugs to assist in the salvage of the vessel.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

 

[nandu]

Three Fast Attack Craft INS Kabra,Koswari and Karuva To be Lunched Today At GRSE,Kolkata.

 

[youngindian]

Chinese help to build Sri Lanka port no security threat: Indian Navy

Monday, March 29, 2010 21:18 IST

Kolkata: The Indian Navy today said it did not see any security threat to the country in the Chinese involvement in building Hambantota port in southern Sri Lanka.

"Building the port in Sri Lanka will not hamper our security. India is too vast for that," Southern Naval Command's Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral KN Sunshil, told newsmen after the commissioning of three Fast Attack Craft at Garden Reach near Kolkata.

"We need not be too concerned with Chinese assistance in building the port. What is to be seen is whether the Chinese
sit there even after completion of the port," he said.

Media reports say that China is helping build the Hambantota strategic port with an estimated investment of $1 billion over the next few years. The port is expected to accommodate nearly 33 ships by 2020.

For the time being, the Chinese were providing the technology for building the port and it would be used as a freight hubbing centre, Sushil pointed out.

Sushil said after the Mumbai attack, the Centre had come out with a coastal security plan involving the Navy, the Coast Guards, the local police and even fishermen.

"The idea is defence in-depth. This means, formation of several layers of defence so that if one layer misses the enemy, there will be others to intercept him," he said.

He said that involving the fishermen in the coastal security system was yielding results and they were now playing an important role in surveillance.

"We have involved the fishermen in such a manner as to make it very difficult for any vessel to pass them unnoticed," he said.

Earlier, speaking at the commissioning of water jet fast attack craft (WJFAC) 'INS Kabra', 'INS Koswari,' and 'INS Karuva,' at the Rajabagan Dockyard of the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE), he said these ships would help the Navy counter unconventional threats.

Commissioned by Sushil's wife Letha, the three ships are the last in the series of 10 WJFAC designed by GRSE.

Welcoming the guests, GRSE chairman and managing director Rear Admiral KC Sekhar said the company's ongoing modernisation programme was expected to be completed by mid-2011.


http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...a-port-no-security-threat-indian-navy_1364942

 

[RPK]

http://www.littleabout.com/news/85964,three-water-jet-fast-attack-crafts-launched-kolkata.html

Three water jet fast attack crafts launched in Kolkata

Three exclusive combat ships, known as water jet fast attack crafts (WJFACs), were launched for the Indian Navy by the Ministry of Defence managed Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Limited (GRSE) at its Rajabagan Dockyard near Kolkata.

The three WJFACs will join the Southern Naval Command fleet for both coastal and high seas patroling.

The crafts have been christened INS Kabra, INS Koswari and INS Karuva after the names of picturesque islands in the Arabian Sea.

Vice Admiral K N Sushil, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Kochi-based Southern Naval Command, accepted the three crafts after his wife cracked the traditional coconut on the hull of the ships prior to their launch.

He said these smaller crafts were much faster than the larger ships and would help patrol the coastal waters more effectively.

"They have got good speed and, they have this water jet propulsion, which means that the propeller is not exposed to the ground and thus, it can go into shallow water very fast. Which is a great advantage when you are tackling ships, which are of the size of a fishing boats or moving fast in coastal water. This is the main role of this ship," he added.

Admiral Sushil further noted that the crafts are designed in such a manner that the propellers are not exposed to the ground, enabling them to manoeuvre even in shallow waters.

After the 26/11 terror attacks, the Indian Navy has also been assigned coastal security as a supplement the Indian Coast Guard.

"the Navy has a wide variety of roles, and, one of such role after the 26/11 terror attacks, is coastal security. We can't deploy our big ships for such jobs. It is costly and not cost effective. Therefore, it is better to have ships, which are capable of such role. These are tailor made for such roles," Admiral Sushil said.

The advantage of the WJFAC is tested and proven shape of its hull and improved efficiency. Each of these crafts is capable of cruising at speeds of 35 knots per hour on the high seas.

Another notable feature of the WJFAC is the Reverse Osmosis Plant for fresh water generation and sewage treatment plant to comply with international maritime organisation regulations.

Copyright Asian News International (ANI)

 

[nandu]

India signs deal to buy 15 fast-interception boats from France

India has signed a deal to buy 15 fast-interception boats (FIBs) from the French shipyard Chantier Naval Couach.
The boats are meant for use by the new Sagar Prahari Bal (Sea Patrol Force in Hindi) being raised by Navy.
Indian media quoting defence ministry sources said the deal could be worth an estimated $500 million and was concluded on March 27. However, there was no official word on this from the Indian MoD.

India is seeking upto 80 FIBs for the Sea Patrol Force which was raised after the attack on Mumbai by sea-borne terrorists in 2008 which cost 200 lives. The Sea patrol Force will be a 1000 man force specially trained to function as a monitoring and interceptor force.
It will supplement the Navy and Coast guard.

http://www.defenseworld.net/go/defe...to buy 15 fast-interception boats from France

 

[youngindian]

India Will Expand Government Shipyard

Published: 30 Mar 2010 11:25



NEW DELHI - India's state-owned Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata, is to double its capacity in the next 12 months at a cost of $87 million.

The funds for the expansion have been sanctioned by the Indian Finance Ministry.The expansion will mainly focus on increasing the capacity of the Raja Bagan Dockyard acquired by GRSE in 2006 from the Central Inland Water Transport Corporation.

GRSE built the Indian Navy's Godavari-class frigates; missile corvette, which is equipped with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and anti-aircraft guns; and a variety of patrol boats.

GRSE's order book includes Landing Ship Tanks that the Indian Navy will use for littoral warfare and a modern oceanographic research-cum-hydrographic survey vessel, a shipyard official said.

On March 29, GRSE launched three Water Jet Fast Attack Crafts built for the Indian Navy - INS Kabra, INS Koswari and INS Karuva. These ships can cut through the sea at a high speed of 35 knots (65 kilometers per hour), powered by three water jets absorbing 8,100 horsepower, a GRSE official said. The ships are also fitted with advanced main engine controls, electronics, and communication and navigation systems.


http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4560309&c=ASI&s=SEA

 

[youngindian]

Navy to launch third destroyer of 'Project 15 Alpha' on April 1 in Mumbai

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 18:33 IST


Mumbai: Elizabeth Antony, wife of defence minister AK Antony, will launch the third destroyer of Project 15 Alpha in Mumbai on April 1.The destroyer has been built by the Mazagon Dock Limited for the Indian Navy.

The defence minister, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma, and south Mumbai Milind Deora would also be present, Navy sources said.

The Kolkata-class destroyers have been in Mazgaon dock in Mumbai under the code name of Project 15 Alpha.

Aimed at adding a new dimension to the country's naval warfare, India has launched the indigenous warship with enhanced stealth features and land-attack capabilities.

"Project 15 A, although conceived as a follow-on of the earlier Delhi class, has major advances in its weapons and sensors and is technologically far more superior," the sources said.


http://www.dnaindia.com/india/repor...project-15-alpha-on-april-1-in-mumbai_1365349

 

[youngindian]

WIL signs MoU with French naval shipbuilder

Mar 31, 2010, 06.02am IST

PUNE: Walchandnagar Industries Limited (WIL), a Rs 700-crore group, which mainly supplies machinery and equipment for nuclear power, aerospace, defence and other turnkey projects, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with French naval shipbuilder DCNS, to manufacture critical equipment for Scorpene submarines to be used by the Indian Navy.

The submarines are built by state-owned Mazgaon Docks Ltd, and are expected to join the naval fleet by 2018, said Chakor Doshi, chairman of WIL at Walchandnagar industrial township, some 130 km from Pune, on Tuesday.

Doshi was speaking to reporters after the inauguration of a research and development centre at Walchandnagar industrial township. The township is spread over 580 acres and includes 50 acres of factory area. Doshi was accompanied by Patrick Boissier, chairman and chief executive officer of DCNS and Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.

"The MoU was signed in February this year," said Doshi. "WIL and DCNS will work out the details and it will be converted to a joint venture eventually. We may float a new company or continue to manufacture the required equipment from the existing establishment, which already manufactures special products for the defence sector. With the JV, WIL will continue to work in the areas for which we have technical capacity. The agreement may include procurement of required equipment for its French counterpart and will be finalised at a later stage." At present, defence, aerospace and nuclear projects contribute 15 per cent of WIL's total revenue.

With WIL joining India's ambitious multi-billion-dollar project to build Scorpene class submarines, the contribution of indigenously manufactured equipment in the defence sector has increased. India plans to source 70 per cent of its defence requirement from indigenous sources by the end of this year.

Of the six Scorpene class submarines that are scheduled to be supplied by 2018, WIL is already supplying equipment for the first and second submarine. The WIL and DCNS venture will mainly focus on supply of equipment for the remaining four submarines, Doshi said.

Bossier said, "Along with the ongoing project of Scorpene class of submarines, the company should also be able to get a second contract for the P75i project. These will be advanced submarines and DCNS will be involved in it.”


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...nch-naval-shipbuilder/articleshow/5744748.cms

 

[miads]

is there any shipyard, capable of handling the Indian Kilo class submarine, in India.u know when India need to overhaul the submarine, they always go to the Russian shipyard. why India don't have even one.they should consider the submarine construction shipyard like the china.that make India really maintaining the its submarine fleet combat ready.

 

[miads]

is there any shipyard, capable of handling the Indian Kilo class submarine, in India.u know when India need to overhaul the submarine, they always go to the Russian shipyard. why India don't have even one.they should consider the submarine construction shipyard like the china. that make India really to maintain its submarine fleet combat ready.

 

[chackojoseph]

Guys, my lone picture of INS Chennai launch. INS Chennai

 

[san]

Is the power pack is installed in the ship. How much time it will take for sea trial & induction

 

[wild goose]

is there any shipyard, capable of handling the Indian Kilo class submarine, in India.u know when India need to overhaul the submarine, they always go to the Russian shipyard. why India don't have even one.they should consider the submarine construction shipyard like the china.that make India really maintaining the its submarine fleet combat ready.

Yes, The HSL at VisaKhapatanam.

The Type 877EKM SSK INS Sindhukirti was ripped open in the mid-1990s without Russian approval/licence at Vizag-based Hindustan Shipyard, not at MDL. While that was the easy part, putting it back together was far more complex and beyond the capability of Hindustan Shipyard Ltd. According to some, this SSK has been written off by the Navy. By 2008 the INS Sindhukirti was the navy's "dry dock queen". For close to five years, this submarine had been sitting in a medium refit - conducted when a submarine completes half its operational life of 15 years-manned by a skeletal naval crew. She would rejoin the fleet only after another five years, by which time INS Sindhukirti would have spent a third of her useful life of 30 years in refit.

Hindustan Shipyard signed a contract on 03 October 2006 with Indian Navy for MR-cum-Modernization of INS Sindukirti and the total refit was jointly undertaken by HSL, Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam) & Rosoboron Export (ROE). In this regard, contracts were concluded with ROE for material supply as well as for turn-key & modernization works. HSL infrastructure was also being augmented to take up repairs on submarines as per the DPR submitted by ROE. The major works on submarine that were completed under this refit contract include:

Completion of entire degutting by May 2007
Completion of blasting on entire hull structure for defect survey by Febuary,2008
Removal of Compartment 6 hard patch. First time in India.
Installation & Commissioning of 2 Nos. pipe bending machine at HSL.
HSL welders were qualified to take up repairs on hull structures.
Received all documents from Russia by May 2008 to take up any repairs on submarine.
Officially, the Sindhukirti, for whose refit the navy had already paid Rs 650 crore, was to join the navy in 2010. But with barely 30 per cent of her medium refit - where the submarine is stripped of all equipment, her hull inspected for wear and tear and machinery replaced - completed since 2004, officials say there is no way she can join before 2015.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/india/s-sindu-ghosh.htm

 

[RPK]

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2010/04/photo-indo-singapore-bilateral-naval.html

Indo-Singapore Bilateral Naval Exercise SIMBEX 2010

The exercise will be undertaken in two separate theatres. Initially in the Andaman Sea and then in the Bay of Bengal. The units participating from the Indian Navy include INS Batti Malv (Fast Attack Craft) and INS Mahish (Landing Ship Tank) from the Andaman & Nicobar Command, INS Ranvir (Destroyer), Jyoti (Tanker) and a submarine from the Eastern Fleet. This will be in addition to fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The Republic of Singapore Navy is participating with RSS Intrepid (Formidable-class frigate) and RSS Victory (Victory-class missile corvette).

 

[RPK]

Indo-Singapore Bilateral Naval Exercise--Simbex 2010

The 2010 edition of the ‘SIMBEX’ series of annual bilateral exercises between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), is scheduled to take place in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal between 03 and 16 Apr 2010.

SIMBEX is an acronym for ‘Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise’. The bilateral naval cooperation was formalized a decade and a half ago, when RSN ships began training in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) with the Indian Navy, in 1994. Over the years the exercises have reflected a growth in strength, capability and mutual confidence of the two navies. As such, the exercises have graduated from purely training oriented ASW exercises to complex exercises, involving multiple facets of operations at sea. Successive editions of SIMBEX have progressively incorporated a wider range of sea going serials, ranging from platform specific exercises in Damage control and Fire fighting, through ‘Visit, Board, Search and Seizure’ procedures, all the way to complex three dimensional threat scenarios involving air surface and sub-surface threats. The operational relationship between the two navies has matured to a point where Standard Operating Procedures are well in place on both the sides.

This year’s exercise will be the 17th in the SIMBEX series. The exercise will be undertaken in two separate theatres. Initially in the Andaman Sea and then in the Bay of Bengal. The units participating from the Indian Navy include INS Batti Malv (Fast Attack Craft) and INS Mahish (Landing Ship Tank) from the Andaman & Nicobar Command, IN Ships Ranvir (Destroyer), Jyoti (Tanker) and a submarine from the Eastern Fleet. This will be in addition to fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft. The Republic of Singapore Navy is participating with RSS Intrepid (Formidable Class frigate) and RSS Victory (Victory class missile corvette). The RSN ships would also be making port calls at Port Blair and Visakhapatnam during the exercise.

RSN and IN share a long standing relationship with regular professional interactions, which include exchange programmes, staff talks and cross attendance at courses. SIMBEX is an important out flow of this comprehensive process of bilateral engagement within the maritime domain. It is through these connectivities that the two navies continue to reinforce, the strong maritime bridges of friendship and connect our respective nations.




http://chhindits.blogspot.com/2010/04/indo-singapore-bilateral-naval-exercise.html

 

[youngindian]

India and Singapore begin naval wargames

Apr 3, 2010, 02.40am IST


NEW DELHI: India and Singapore have launched the Simbex naval wargames in the eastern seaboard which will be undertaken in two theatres, first in the Andaman Sea and then in the Bay of Bengal. Apart from helicopters and aircraft, India has deployed destroyer INS Ranvir, fast-attack craft INS Batti Malv, amphibious warship INS Mahish, tanker INS Jyoti and a kilo-class submarine for the combat exercise. Singapore, in turn, has fielded frigate RSS Intrepid and missile corvette RSS Victory.

‘‘The Simbex exercises, 16 editions of which have already been held, have graduated from being purely anti-submarine warfare exercises to complex ones involving multiple facets of operations at sea,’’ said an official.

This year’s edition of the Simbex wargames, which will conclude on April 16, comes soon after the ‘Bold Kurukshetra’ wargames held between the mechanised forces of the two countries at the Babina field firing ranges in MP.

With land and airspace being a scarce commodity in the city-state, Singapore is increasingly utilizing Indian military facilities to train its own small but high-tech armed forces under special agreements. India, for instance, provides facilities to for exercises of mechanized forces at Babina and artillery at Deolali ranges as well as for fighters at the Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-begin-naval-wargames/articleshow/5756055.cms

 

[nandu]

India-Singapore naval exercise 'SIMBEX' begins today

India and Singapore navies will come together to hold their annual fortnight-long bilateral war game off Andaman and Nicobar Islands from Saturday.

"The 2010 edition of the 'SIMBEX' series of annual bilateral exercises between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), is scheduled to take place in the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal between April 3 and 16," Navy officials said in a press release here.

SIMBEX, an acronym for 'Singapore Indian Maritime Bilateral Exercise', was formalised in a bilateral naval cooperation a decade-and-a-half ago when RSN ships began training in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) with the Indian Navy in 1994.

Being the 17th naval war game in the SIMBEX series, the exercise this year would be undertaken in two separate theatres -- initially in the Andaman Sea and then in the Bay of Bengal.

Indian Navy would be represented in the exercise by INS Batti Malv (Fast Attack Craft) and INS Mahish (Landing Ship Tank) from the Andaman and Nicobar Command, destroyer INS Ranvir, tanker INS Jyoti and a submarine from the Eastern Fleet.

Additionally, fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft too would fly out of naval air bases to join the exercise to simulate aerial operations.

Singaporean Navy would participate in SIMBEX with Formidable class frigate RSS Intrepid and Victory class missile corvette RSS Victory.

The Singaporean warships would also be making port calls at Port Blair and Visakhapatnam during the exercise.

Over the years, SIMBEX has reflected a growth in strength, capability and mutual confidence of the two navies and the exercises have graduated from purely training oriented ASW affair to complex manoeuvres involving multiple facets of operations at sea.

"Successive editions of SIMBEX have progressively incorporated a wider range of sea-going serials, ranging from platform specific exercises in damage control and fire fighting, through 'Visit, Board, Search and Seizure' procedures, all the way to complex three-dimensional threat scenarios involving air surface and sub-surface threats," the officials said.

The operational relationship between the two navies has matured to a point where Standard Operating Procedures are well in place on both the sides, they said.

Indian and Singaporean navies share a long standing relationship with regular professional interactions, which include exchange programmes, staff talks and cross attendance at courses.

"SIMBEX is an important outflow of this comprehensive process of bilateral engagement within the maritime domain. It is through these connectivities that the two navies continue to reinforce the strong maritime bridges of friendship and connect our respective nations," a release said.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/India-Singapore-naval-exercise-SIMBEX-begins-today/3539/1/10.html

 

[Anshu Attri]

http://livefist.blogspot.com/2010/04/indian-coastguard-for-major-firepower.html

Indian Coastguard For Major Firepower Purchases.

The Indian Coastguard is in the market for a large number of marine guns, and has invited information from global vendors. Its shopping list includes 100 12.7-mm marine guns, 70 20-mm marine guns, 36 30-mm marine guns and 36 40-mm marine guns, all for integration on existing and future vessels. The ICG has also floated tenders for six new 2,000-ton offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), 14 fast patrol vessels and 20 new interceptor boats.