Going for indigenous production of Amur-Class Submarine will be a great idea
India needs at least a minimum of 24 non nuclear Submarines at the earliest and ideally around 48 of them. Presently we will have six Kalvari class brand new subs and 12 older Sindhu Ghosh and Shishumar classes. However the last of the vintage ones will retire by 2033.
In 2021, India had issued a request for proposal to five foreign contenders for the construction of six submarines with advance capabilities for Indian navy under the Project-75 (I) program. According to Drozhzhov, the Russian side informed India that it would not take part in this tender. Our own designed submarine may still be away by a few years.
To get over the somewhat desperate situation, the best solution is to firstly give a repeat order for additional six Scorpion class submarine….three to be made at Mazagon Yard itself and three to be Made in India at a private Shipyard. This way by 2033 we should be having 12x Kalvari Class serving with the Indian Navy. By 2033, surely MDLshould be starting with a pure indigenous submarine line.
Secondly we must go in for the Russian has offer to jointly develop with India a non-nuclear submarine based on the Russian Amur-1650 diesel-electric submarine with a localization level of production of up to 80%. Deputy Director of the Russia Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Vladimir Drozhzhov shared details with Sputnik during the Aero India 2023 exhibition in Karnataka’s Bengaluru. Here too there should be two parallel lines, one at MDL and one with a private Shipyard in India.This way again by 235 we should have 12x Amur class submarines serving with the Indian Navy.
Drozhzhov explained that, as an air-independent propulsion unit, the Indian side is offered an engine of both Russian or Indian production, as well as an engine of joint Russian-Indian production. He further said “However, along with this, we offer our Indian partners a variant of cooperation on this topic, including the joint designing and production of a national non-nuclear submarine under the 75 (I) program on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement,” the Russian official said.
“Taking into account our experience of working with the Indian side on other naval projects, localization of production during the implementation of the program for the construction of Project-75 (I) submarines based on the Russian platform Amur-1650 can be increased to 70-80%.”
Submarines of the Amur class belong to the fourth generation and have improved acoustic stealth, new combat systems, and the option of installing an anaerobic air-independent power plant. The Amur-1650 project involves the creation of a submarine with a diving depth of up to 300 meters (984 feet), a speed of up to 22 knots, an endurance of 45 days, and a crew of 35 people. The submarine can be armed with Kalibr or BrahMos missiles, torpedoes, and mines.
