They are part of purchases cleared by Defence Acquisition Council in New Delhi last week
The Indian Navy has received clearance to procure two Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) to be used by its elite Marine Commandos (Marcos) for special operations.
The clearance was a part of the Rs 80,000-crore string of military purchases cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council in New Delhi last week. SDVs are mini-submarines carrying 2 to 6 divers for specialised maritime warfare tasks. They are also used for clandestine marine operations.
According to sources, the procurement, worth around Rs 2,000 crore, will include the Indian Navy and the ministry of defence (MoD) selecting either of the five government or two private Indian shipyards for building the SDVs.
"The selected shipbuilder will later enter into a joint venture (JV) with a foreign company to manufacture the vessels here under licence," said an IN source. This arrangement is under the 'Buy and Make (Indian)' category of the latest Defence Procurement Policy in 2011, which was born during erstwhile defense minister A.K. Antony's regime. The government shipyards include the MoD-controlled Mazgaon Docks Limited, Goa Shipyard Limited, Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Vishakhapatnam, the Kolkata-based Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers and the ministry of shipping-controlled Cochin Shipyard Limited. The private shipyards are operated by Larsen and Toubro, along with Pipavav and ABG Shipyards in Gujarat. "The vessels should reach the Indian Navy after around four years from the signing of the contract between the shipyard and the Navy. An empowered committee will inspect the shipyards and identify one based on its capacity, experience and expertise," the officer added.
The SDV procurement would be an "enormous" breather for the Marcos, who are currently without such a system after the Italian built Cosmos CE-2F/X100 two-man midget submarines was phased out.
Undersea equipment
Mini-submarines are used for clandestine marine operations like secretly inserting 'frogmen' into enemy waters, maritime patrols for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering and even rescuing sinking crew.
They can also be used for underwater inspection, laying sea mines against enemy ships or harbour patrols in shallow waters. The boats are a "relatively" easier system to manufacture compared to full-sized submarines but can also be weaponised with torpedoes if required.
A major advantage with the SDVs or midget submarines is their near-invisibility to Sound Navigation and Ranging (SONAR) systems due to their extremely small size and consequent low levels of noise.
Ship-towed SONAR or helicopter dropped 'Sono Buoys' have not been known to successfully detect midget submarines.
From a full-sized submarine, an SDV could be launched from the back where it is mounted.
A surface ship meanwhile could lower an SDV into the water using a crane.
The Japanese pioneered the use of midget submarines during the second World War with incredible successes against the United States Navy.
They were torpedo armed boats or 'human torpedoes' for suicide missions
Navy to procure 2 midget submarines | The Asian Age
