Indian Navy Developments & Discussions

[nandu]

Navy officer embarks on last leg of global circumnavigation

NEW DELHI: An Indian Navy officer's endeavour to set a record by circumnavigating the globe on a boat alone has entered the last phase, with Commander Dilip Donde rounding off the Cape of Good Hope on Tuesday to finally head for Mumbai.

Cdr Donde, in the naval sailing vessel Mhadei, is expected to complete this unique `Sagar Parikrama' solo circumnavigation of the world by mid-May and will then sail right into record books.

"The final leg from Cape Town to Mumbai comes with its own set of new challenges for the expedition. With a distance of 6,500 km to go, this final leg is longer than the other legs Cdr Donde has successfully completed earlier,'' said an officer.

"Sailing from 40 degree South to 20 degree North would also ensure a wide variety of sailing conditions -- from the roaring 40s in the south to the frustrating doldrums close to the equator, the steady trade winds and the not very comfortable monsoons,'' he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...obal-circumnavigation/articleshow/5767898.cms

 

[nandu]

India, US to enhance sub rescue measures

India, US to enhance sub rescue measures

NEW DELHI: Away from the glamour of the forthcoming Malabar naval wargames and battling terrorism-piracy on the high seas, India and US are now on course to enhance measures to rescue Indian sailors if they get trapped deep underwater in a disabled submarine.

Even as the US chief of naval operations Admiral Gary Roughead is slated to hold talks with defence minister A K Antony, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and other top military brass next week, India is looking to extend the scope of US Navy's "global submarine rescue fly-away kit service" for its requirements.

When India had first inked the contract for the rescue service in 1997, with an initial payment of $734,443, it was meant to be more of an interim measure till Navy acquired DSRVs (deep submergence rescue vessels) of its own.

A DSRV or 'mini submarine' can, after all, rescue 24 sailors at a time from a depth of around 600 metres after 'mating' with the hatch of the stricken submarine, equipped as it is with pressurised chambers, sonars, cameras and other advanced facilities.

But, 13 years later, Navy is still far away from getting something as basic and critical as DSRVs, despite the country spending big bucks on importing military hardware and software.

Indian sailors do have submarine-escape pressurised suits, as also diving support ships like INS Nireekshak, but they can only be used for relatively shallow depths. Consequently, as CAG reports have lamented, India continues to remain dependent on 'a foreign source' (US navy) for robust rescue facilities.

Under the agreement with US, the American navy is supposed to fly either a DSRV or a 'submarine rescue chamber' to an Indian port or airport nearest to the mishap site within 72 hours. Sources said discussions during Admiral Roughead's visit will, of course, also focus on the Malabar wargames, to be held on the western seaboard off Goa with Indian and American warships and submarines from April 22 to May 2, and ways to further bolster 'interoperability' between the two navies.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...e-sub-rescue-measures/articleshow/5780037.cms

 

[nandu]

Lankan Navy officials to train on board Indian warship

In a gesture aimed at improving bilateral military ties with Sri Lanka, the Navy will throw open its warship, which is on a visit to Trincomalee harbour, to about 100 trainee officers from the Lankan Navy.

The trainee officers would go around INS Magar, a Landing Ship Tank (medium) used for amphibious operations and also as a replenishment ship, when they would be given exposure to various on-board activities including seamanship, bridgemanship, damage control and fire fighting exercises.

The ship will sail out of the Trincomalee harbour for two days from April 12 and would return to the harbour on April 14, the Navy said in a press release here on Friday.

"These mutual cooperation exercises are an ongoing process and training experience have been imparted to young Sri Lankan officers on board the First Training Squadron (1TS) ships INS Shardul and Coast Guard ship CGS Varuna in October 2009 and earlier on INS Krishna in October 2007," the release said.

"The two Navies share a very cordial relationship and have been undertaking such programmes for mutual professional benefit as and when the opportunity arises," it said.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Lankan-Navy-officials-to-train-on-board-Indian-warship/3595/1/11.html

 

[sandeepdg]

India, US to enhance sub rescue measures


New Delhi: Away from the glamour of the forthcoming Malabar naval wargames and battling terrorism-piracy on the high seas, India and US are now on course to enhance measures to rescue Indian sailors if they get trapped deep underwater in a disabled submarine.
Even as the US chief of naval operations Admiral Gary Roughead is slated to hold talks with defence minister A K Antony, Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and other top military brass next week, India is looking to extend the scope of US Navy’s ‘‘global submarine rescue fly-away kit service’’ for its requirements.
When India had first inked the contract for the rescue service in 1997, with an initial payment of $734,443, it was meant to be more of an interim measure till Navy acquired DSRVs (deep submergence rescue vessels) of its own.
A DSRV or ‘mini submarine’ can, after all, rescue 24 sailors at a time from a depth of around 600 metres after ‘mating’ with the hatch of the stricken submarine, equipped as it is with pressurised chambers, sonars, cameras and other advanced facilities.
But, 13 years later, Navy is still far away from getting something as basic and critical as DSRVs, despite the country spending big bucks on importing military hardware and software. Indian sailors do have submarine-escape pressurised suits, as also diving support ships like INS Nireekshak, but they can only be used for relatively shallow depths. Consequently, as CAG reports have lamented, India continues to remain dependent on ‘a foreign source’ (US navy) for robust rescue facilities.
Under the agreement with US, the American navy is supposed to fly either a DSRV or a ‘submarine rescue chamber’ to an Indian port or airport nearest to the mishap site within 72 hours. Sources said discussions during Admiral Roughead’s visit will, of course, also focus on the Malabar wargames, to be held on the western seaboard off Goa with Indian and American warships and submarines from April 22 to May 2, and ways to further bolster ‘interoperability’ between the two navies.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Defa...eLabel=15&EntityId=Ar01501&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T

 

[Rage]

Unmanned A U V undergoes trials at Idukki dam

Hello! hello!


Unmanned submarine undergoes trials at Idukki dam

Posted on : 17 Feb


Bangalore: The indigenously developed unmanned submarine has been tested successfully. The AUV (Autonomous Underwater Vehicle)-150, brought in from Durgapur, West Bengal under secrecy underwent trials at the Idukki reservoir.
The vehicle has been developed by the Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), based at Durgapur in collaboration with the DRDO. It can collect information under water remotely without the need of any crew or captain much like a remotely controlled pilotless aircraft. Built with the intent of coastal security, AUV 150 will also be used to study aquatic life and minerals and to map oceans, said Dr. S.N. Som, the head of Robotics and Automation, CMERI. IIT Gorakhpur is also collaborating in the project.
Brought in a container over land from Durgapur upto Kulamavu reservoir at Idukki , the vehicle was later taken to the middle of the reservoir on a boat. Though CMERI officials declined to comment on the exact date of the tests, they indicated that the trials were conducted in January. The current trials were that of runs in fresh water. Kulamavu has a centre associated with the Navy and the reservoir there is also deep, as a consequence the choice fell on Idukki. The vehicle is yet to undergo sea trials.
With a length of 4.8 metres and weighing 490 kgs, AUV 150 is controlled remotely from land using wireless technology. It runs on power sourced from batteries. Dr. Som added that it would render invaluable service to the Coast Guard and Navy. The US, Russia, Germany, Japan, Australia, South Korea are the other known nations having such submarines.


Translated from: http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...org.mozilla:en-US:official&ndsp=18&tbs=isch:1
Courtesy of: http://forums.bharat-rakshak.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5057&start=1880&st=0&sk=t&sd=a

 

[sayareakd]

can it go on suicide mission, with big bomb or with nuke against the AC and its sister ships.

 

[BunBunCake]

Wonderful news............

Is the intention of this development to be armed or only patrolling?
As sayareakd said, could this be weaponized?

Please post more links on when this will be inducted, etc....

More pictures would be nice too.

 

[Rage]

Sorry for the double post, mates. I'll edit it with another lead as soon as I find one.

can it go on suicide mission, with big bomb or with nuke against the AC and its sister ships.

Wonderful news............

Is the intention of this development to be armed or only patrolling?
As sayareakd said, could this be weaponized?

Please post more links on when this will be inducted, etc....

More pictures would be nice too.

sayarea / UCG, there is very little info on this baby. It seems to be mostly for marine biology pursuits and for ocean-mapping, as the article says, though with some limited combat capability.

I would suspect it to be equipped, because of its nature, with high-definition forwards and sideways-looking sonars and a host of multi view cameras, and perhaps provide detection for deep-sea mines.

We have no specs on its speed, not even reasonable hypotheses, and I doubt I could venture a guess at this point, but if made fast enough it could possibly become a payload for the larger 'mother-ship' and have self-destruct capabilities.

Navigation is autonomous, which likely means manoeuvers along pre-set parameters, but I suspect manual-command override would be provided to lend it a greater degree of mission and tactical flexibility.

 

[nrj]

Well, apart from the weaponization if any or not this baby will be highly STEALTHY if they work on it...

Further size reduction, deduction in heat signature +VLF capabilities can get this fish diving deep & farther into oceans when released by "Mother Ship", a great surveillance & eye keeping tool it'll prove to be.

Ofcourse above are the Military requirements, if this prototype succeeds then DRDO can think on such Military focused submarine.....

 

[LETHALFORCE]

can it go on suicide mission, with big bomb or with nuke against the AC and its sister ships.

The answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5293/is_200712/ai_n21275375/

Boeing Pushes Unmanned Submarine

Boeing Co.'s Anaheim operation thinks it finally has come up with a robotic submarine the Pentagon will want.

In October, Boeing said it successfully tested an unmanned underwater vehicle that it now is pitching to the Navy.

A contract to build the vehicles would be a boon for Boeing's maritime division, which has been working to perfect the undersea robot for 10 years.

"The significance of this is huge, it's really a milestone for us," said Tom Jones, Boeing's director of Marine Systems.

Jones didn't want to guess how much money and jobs a Navy contract could bring.

"That might ruin it," he said.

For decades, the Navy has wanted an unmanned underwater vehicle-UUV, for short-to locate underwater mines, perform spying and to attack other vessels, Jones said.

The military has embraced automated vehicles as unmanned airplanes play an increasing role in warfare and training.

Other companies such as Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp. and Maryland's Lockheed Martin Corp. have made attempts at perfecting a UUV. But no one has been able to meet the Navy's contract requirements yet, Jones said.

Boeing hopes to break the streak.

"What happens with the program now is up to the Navy," Jones said.

Boeing's UUV has the look of a submarine torpedo, and is launched the same way. It stands about 20 feet tall.

Other defense contractors have been able to build machines that can be launched or successfully perform missions. But there hasn't been a vehicle that could be easily retrieved from the water by a submarine at sea, according to Boeing.

 

[plugwater]

Carrier battle groups to add muscle to Navy

NEW DELHI: Nothing projects geostrategic power better than aircraft carriers prowling on high seas. Powerful fighter jets tearing into the skies from a moving airfield, which can travel 600 nautical miles a day, can send shivers down any adversary’s spine. Carrier-battle groups (CBGs) can, after all, rapidly respond across the entire spectrum of operations as ‘‘situation changers’’ in times of crisis. It’s no wonder then that US has as many as 11 CBGs to deploy around the globe, giving it the capability to strike almost anywhere.

India has been making do with a solitary carrier, the 50-year-old INS Viraat, since 1987. But now, with India and Russia finally ending their bitter wrangling over the huge cost escalation in Admiral Gorshkov’s refit, the Navy is steaming towards its aim of deploying two CBGs in Indian Ocean and beyond. ‘‘By 2014-2015, we should have two full-fledged CBGs, with their accompanying fighters and other aircraft, destroyers, frigates and tankers. It will make a huge difference,’’ said Navy chief Admiral Nirmal Verma, talking exclusively to TOI.

The first CBG will be centred around the 44,570-tonne Gorshkov, rechristened INS Vikramaditya, which India will now get in early-2013 under the fresh $2.33 billion deal inked last month. ‘‘We hope to run Vikramaditya for 40 years,’’ said Admiral Verma. The second CBG will be around the 40,000-tonne indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC), whose keel was laid at Cochin Shipyard in February 2009. ‘‘There is some delay but it will be launched by first half of 2011. We should get it by 2014,’’ he added. The 45 MiG-29K fighters, contracted from Russia for about $2 billion, will operate both from Vikramaditya and IAC. Incidentally, a 65,000-tonne IAC-II is also on the drawing board. ‘‘It will be much bigger and capable of operating fighters, AEW (airborne early-warning) aircraft, tankers etc,’’ Admiral Verma said.

But for now, Navy’s intention is to ‘‘stretch’’ the operational life of the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, even though it’s left with only 11 of its Sea Harrier jump-jets, till IAC is commissioned. With as many as 40 warships and submarines on order, coupled with a dedicated communication satellite to be launched later this year by Isro, Navy is fast emerging as a true-blue three-dimensional blue-water force.

This is critical since India’s geopolitical interests stretch right from Hormuz Strait down to Malacca Strait. ‘‘Construction of support and escort warships for the CBGs is going well,’’ said Admiral Verma. Under the Rs 8,101 crore Project-17 at Mazagon Docks, for instance, the first of the 5,300-tonne stealth frigate INS Shivalik will be commissioned this month.

‘‘The second (INS Satpura) will be delivered later this year and the third (INS Sahyadri) next year,’’ he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...to-add-muscle-to-Navy/articleshow/5785929.cms

 

[ajtr]

Navy for law to act against vessels without transponders

K.V. Prasad
Admiral Verma suggests additional steps to make coastline more secure
Moots toll gates to keep track of movement of fishing boats

Radar chain along 7,500-km coastline will be in place by next year

NEW DELHI: The Navy has suggested additional measures to make the coastline more secure. It wants legislation to take punitive action against vessels functioning without mandatory Automatic Information System (AIS) transponders and suggested that the fishing boats pass through a toll gate while entering and exiting harbour.

The Navy, tasked with the overall maritime security after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, has found that vessels below 300 tonnes, which are required to install AIS transponders, have not done so even after a year.

“The AIS is not happening and we are thinking of legislation for punitive action [against those who have not installed it] for, enough time has been given,” Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Nirmal Verma told The Hindu.

While the awareness campaign launched among fishermen had started yielding results, Admiral Verma said it was a huge task to monitor some 50,000 boats that leave the shores each day on either coast into the sea and return.

One of the measures contemplated was making boats below 20 metres pass through toll gates while leaving and entering so that their movement was recorded through a low-cost transponder or radio frequency tags fitted on the boats.

However, time was needed for such a system to be put in place as it involved working with the fishermen community. The Navy, along with the Coast Guard and the local police, had covered all coastal districts and sensitised villagers and fishermen in each State to the threats from the sea.

“The fishing community is considered the eyes and ears of the coastal security scheme and could provide valuable information. During the last one year, every village and fishing hamlet along the coastline has been visited and it has paid off, though sometimes there have been false alarms,” Admiral Verma said.

As for the plan to establish a radar chain along the 7,500-km coastline, the Navy chief said it would be in place by next year. In the first phase, 46 radars were being set up along the coast, including in the island territories, at a cost of Rs. 300 crore. The public sector Bharat Electronics Limited was carrying out the radar chain work that also included setting up of sensors for identification of vessels near the coast.

The Navy was preparing a National Maritime Domain Awareness doctrine to make the system more transparent. Admiral Verma said that with the installation of AIS on ships above a certain tonnage, there was a fair level of transparency as to who was sailing in an area.

 

[prahladh]

Last I heard Countries like China are working on Carrier specific Ballistic weapons. What are the counter-measures on these ACs against these!

 

[ajtr]

'Second-hand' Gorshkov costlier than new warship: CAG

NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy's purchase of the Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, already mired in controversy, has been criticised by the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) as the "second-hand" warhorse will be 60 percent costlier than a new one and there is a risk of further delay in its delivery. ( Watch )

"The objective of inducting an aircraft carrier in time to fill the gap in Indian Navy has not been achieved," the CAG said in its annual report released on Friday.

"The cost of acquisition has more than doubled to USD 1.82 billion in four years. At best Indian Navy would be acquiring, belatedly, a second-hand ship with a limited life span by paying significantly more than what it would have paid for a new ship," it said.

The purchase of Admiral Gorshkov faced controversy when Russia escalated the price for its refitting in 2007 and also pushed back its delivery date.

According to the CAG report, the platform is scheduled to be delivered by 2012 and would be due for its second refit in India by 2017.

Moreover, the CAG report predicts that the Russian shipyard might as well fail to stick to the scheduled delivery date.

"Overall work progress continued to be slow and needed to be accelerated to meet even the revised scheduled. Given the work needed to be done, preceeding the undocking and the cascading effect of delay in undocking on downstream activities, there was a risk that the delivery acceptance trials of the ship would not be completed by 2012," the report said.

"It can be seen that Indian Navy was acquiring a second-hand refitted aircraft carrier that had half the life span of and was 60 percent more expensive that a new one," said the report.

Despite the exorbitant price tag, the CAG report points out the carrier has limited operational capabilities and certain key capabilities which would enable the ship "to meet potential threats or challenges" had either not been provided for or had been postponed to a later date.

"The anti-aircraft missile complex selected to be fitted in the ship failed during the trials and the refurbishment contract was concluded without the missile system... This implies that the ship would not have a CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) till her first refit in India in 2017," revealed the report.

The CIWS is a vital naval shipboard point weapon for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft at short range.

 

[sandeepdg]

"The anti-aircraft missile complex selected to be fitted in the ship failed during the trials and the refurbishment contract was concluded without the missile system... This implies that the ship would not have a CIWS (Close-In Weapon System) till her first refit in India in 2017," revealed the report.

WTF !! IS THIS CONFIRMED that the Vikramaditya will be delivered without a CIWS installed on it ?? Members please clarify.

 

[plugwater]

WTF !! IS THIS CONFIRMED that the Vikramaditya will be delivered without a CIWS installed on it ?? Members please clarify.

As per some reports it ll be equipped with 8 CADS-N-1 Kashtan CIWS

 

[sandeepdg]

As per some reports it ll be equipped with 8 CADS-N-1 Kashtan CIWS

Mate, everyone knows that it will include 8 Kashtan CIWS on board, but the question is will it be delivered with these CIWS system as and when the delivery is made to IN or will they equipped later on as the CAG report says ???

 

[jayadev]

Indian navy ship arrives in Sri Lanka port on a goodwill mission

Apr 11, Trincomalee: The Indian Navy's amphibious warfare vessel INS Magar arrived at Sri Lanka's Eastern port of Trincomalee yesterday (10) on a goodwill mission, Sri Lanka Navy said.

According to the Navy, the INS Magar, a landing ship tank with a Chetak helicopter on board, is scheduled to stay in Sri Lanka for a few days. It carries a crew of 20 officers and 235 sailors on board.

During its stay, over 100 rookie officers of Sri Lanka Navy will be trained by the ship's crew from Monday on areas ranging from navigation, communication, seamanship, Naval knowledge, damage control and fire fighting.

Sri Lanka Navy in reciprocation has arranged a special visit programme for the ship's crew.

The ship's visit is aimed at strengthening the bilateral defence ties between the two countries.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_10/Apr1271011575CH.php

 

[wild goose]

INS Betwa deployed in Gulf of Aden

The Navy has deployed INS Betwa with an armed helicopter and marine commando team for anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden.

INS Betwa, 16th Indian Navy ship deployed in the area since October 2008, has replaced INS Beas. Warships of several other countries are also deployed in the Gulf of Aden. On average, 16-18 warships are there at any given time.


http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article396560.ece

 

[nandu]

No ship under Indian Navy's escort hijacked in Gulf of Aden since Oct 2008

New Delhi, Apr 13: No merchant ship under the escort of an Indian Naval warship has been hijacked since 2008 in the Gulf of Aden and more than 15 piracy attempts have been prevented by Indian Naval warships.

INS Betwa with an armed helicopter and Marine Commando team has replaced INS Beas on anti piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden recently. She is the 16th Indian Naval ship to be deployed since Oct 2008, a Ministry of Defence release said.


During this period, Indian Naval ships have safely escorted more than 930 merchant ships of different nationalities, with, over 7780 Indians as crew. These include over 124 Indian flagged merchant ships.

In view of the risk of piracy, most of the merchant vessels now transit through the Gulf of Aden where a large number of warships are deployed.

Only limited number of vessels operate off the East coast of Africa or Somalia. Several Indian Dhows, however, continue to engage in regular trade between Persian Gulf / India and ports on the East coast of Africa and Somalia.

The owners and crew of these dhows are fully aware of the risks and dangers of operating so close to the Somali coast, but they continue to do so probably for commercial considerations.

Pirates do not usually seek ransom from dhow owners, but dhows are attractive vessels for use as "mother ships" to launch further piracy attacks on other merchant vessels.

In addition to India, warships of other countries are also operating in the Gulf of Aden. On an average 16 - 18 warships are deployed in the Gulf of Aden at any given time, which is indicative of the seriousness of the problem of piracy.

As a result, the number of successful piracy attempts in the Gulf of Aden has shown a downward trend, but piracy is spreading away from the Gulf of Aden deeper into the Indian Ocean. Dhows are suitable craft for supporting the pirates at such distances.

It is for this reason that Dhow owners have been repeatedly advised to avoid the piracy prone areas off Somalia. Despite the advisories issued by the DG Shipping, Indian dhows continue to operate in these piracy infested areas, placing at risk the lives of Indian crew onboard.

Though periodic incidents of hijacking of dhows had been reported earlier, in the past few days, there has been a spurt of reports indicating hijackings of Indian dhows off Somalia.

Reports also indicate that most of the dhows have been released safely and only two dhows are still in captivity. This indicates that that the hijackings of the dhows are normally not linked to ransom nor are they life threatening for the hijacked crew.

Not withstanding the presence of a large number of multinational naval forces in the Gulf of Aden, the contribution of the Indian Navy for anti piracy efforts in the region will continue in future.

http://news.oneindia.in/2010/04/13/noship-under-indian-navys-escort-hijacked-in-gulf-of.html