India's Navy First Time Deploys 11 Submarines in Three Decades

Defense News ,India :-  India's navy made a big move on Friday by sending out 11 regular submarines all at once, marking a huge moment for the Navy in 30 years.

This action is quite different from what we've seen in the last 20 years. During that time, the submarine fleet faced problems like decreasing numbers, accidents, and submarines being written off.

One source, who has served for over 25 years, said, "This is a very important moment for us. In all my years in the Navy, I haven't seen so many submarines deployed at once. Usually, we didn't have this many submarines available for operations because many were being repaired or upgraded."

According to sources in the defense sector, the last time India had such a strong submarine fleet was in the early 1990s. Back then, the Navy had 8 Kilo-class submarines, four HDWs, and four Foxtrot submarines from Russia.

"But since then, the submarine fleet has faced many challenges. Even the delivery of Scorpene submarines was delayed," another source mentioned.

Currently, India has 16 regular submarines in operation, including five Scorpene class (from France), four HDWs (from Germany), and seven Kilo-class (from Russia). Another Scorpene class submarine is yet to be officially commissioned.

Although India will have 17 regular submarines next year, sources point out that this might not translate to actual operational capability.

"What matters more is how many submarines are available for operation. Scorpene submarines are new, so they are more available. Next are the German HDWs, which are reliable and perform well. These submarines can serve for another 10-15 years," the second source explained, highlighting the challenges the Navy faces with its submarine fleet.

The source added that while India initially had 10 Kilo-class submarines, it now only has seven.

"The Kilo submarines are good, but their availability has decreased. They've been upgraded, but they won't last as long as the HDWs. Most of them were commissioned in the 1980s, and one has already been decommissioned. Another was given to Myanmar after being refitted. The third one was new, but we lost it in an accident in 2013," the source noted.

This means that the submarine fleet will continue facing challenges.

India plans to acquire three more Scorpene-class submarines, but this process will take time from signing contracts to delivery, sources said.

The Navy's plan to buy six more advanced submarines with better technology has been delayed for over a decade. The chances of the first one being delivered by 2030 are slim, according to sources.