Chinese Nuclear submarines a concern says Indian Naval Chief
Admiral Sureesh Mehta, Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy today in a press conference said that a Chinese nuclear submarine base near India is not a big cause of concern as a nuclear submarine can travel any distance. It is the presence of nuclear submarines with China which is a cause of concern. He said the Indian Nuclear powered submarine (ATV) is a DRDO project and navy would like acquire such submarines. The admiral said that “A nuclear submarine is a true submarine.”
On Chinese presence in Indian Ocean, the admiral said that Chinese would like to operate in India Ocean but they are not yet here.
Referring to the defence budget, the Naval Chief said that the Indian defence budget has come below 2% of the GDP due to the rapid growth of the GDP. He said even though the defence budget sees a growth of 10%, it should be 2.5% of the GDP.
Navy chief denied of any rift with the Defence Minister and blamed some section of the press which has misreported and then blown it out of proportion.
On ship building for Indian navy, the naval chief took pride in the fact that Indian Navy is a strong supporter of indigenisation. He said 34 ships and 6 submarines are being constructed in Indian yards. He also said that IN is looking for a second line for producing submarines which will have missile firing capability and the tender will be floated in some time. Regarding the second indigenous aircraft carrier, the Naval Chief said that it will be ordered as soon as the first one will get completed in the Cochin shipyard. He also said that the capacity is not enough and Indian yards should bring in better technology for building ships fasters. He cited the example of Daring Class destroyers being made in UK which have a modular construction. The first Indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC) will be ready by 2012. In total India plans to have 3 aircraft carriers by next decade which will be useful for another 45 to 50 years. The chief said that INS Vikramaditya will be with Indian Navy in 3 years.
On commenting on the naval version of the Light Combat Aircraft (NLCA), the admiral said that the navy is the first supporter of the project. He said the project had slippages which could have been avoided. The naval LCA will have different cockpit than the Air Force version, a stronger landing gear and an arrestor hook.
Without naming the company, the Indian navy chief said that the vendor for the maritime surveillance aircraft has been identified and the negotiations are in process. This will replace the TU-142’s which is in Indian navy.
On the question of leasing of Akula submarines, the admiral said that INS Chakra (Soviet Charlie class) was leased to train Indian Navy crew. Since such a training requirement is coming up in Indian navy, Akulas were considered. He also said that the progress on this front is not up to the desired level.
On being asked by Frontier India representative on the Network centric communication for Indian Ships on line of CENTRIX of US which was used in Malabar Exercises, the chief said that Indian navy has this program going in house for past few years and Indian navy is going to test it on ships for proving the concept. It will happen this year. He also said this will take off when a dedicated satellite will be in orbit. Indian Navy has a plan to have submarines, surface ships and aircrafts integrated in a composite manner. The project is called network Centric Operations (NCO). After the concept is proved private and public software companies will be invited for tenders for further development and deployment.
On the requirement of B-Tech for Naval officers, the Admiral explained that since there is limited availability of manpower, Indian navy would offer the recruits a B-Tech degree which will be an incentive. In turn Navy will get its trained manpower too.
Naval Commanders’ Conference-2008 is currently being held in Mumbai.
