swag5
Regular Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2011
- Messages
- 106
- Likes
- 9
Indian Navy today inducts INS Deepak, a new tanker into its fleet. The tanker is part of a twin, 159 million euro order for tankers awarded to Italian ship designer and construction firm Fincantieri Cantieri Navali. Its sister ship, INS Shakti, will be inducted by the middle of the year, navy officials said. INS Deepak and Shakti join two older fleet tankers, INS Jyoti and INS Aditya, currently being operated by the navy.
Fleet tankers replenish fuel and stores on warships out on extended patrol. By allowing ships to patrol at great distances for home shores they extend the 'blue-water' capabilities of the navy and impart strategic reach to a country. With a full-load displacement of 27,500 tonnes, the175-metre long INS Deepak will be able to carry 17,900 tonnes of cargo, including 15,250 tonnes of fuel. Equipped with four AK-630 guns, the tanker has an endurance of 10,000 nautical miles at a speed of 16 knots.
The Indian Navy is already embarked on a major modernisation programme and currently has over 40 warships on order with Indian shipyards. These include orders for six Scorpene submarines and an Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC). It also has an ex-Russian Navy aircraft carrier (Adm Gorshkov) currently being refitted to its specifications. The carrier, re-designated INS Vikramaditya, is undergoing refit ata aRussian shipyard.
Also on order with a Russian shipyard are three more Talwar-class stealth frigates. The Navy is also due to launch a tender for additional acquisition of six advanced submarines under Project-75. The navy also intends to enhance its troop delivery capabilities by procuring Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) in the near future.
