Military of China, force comment.
Military of China, force comment.

India’s domestic nuclear submarine profiles. Source: Beijing News
picture Russian “Akula” class Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine. Source: People’s Daily

According to the Global Network reports: After more than 11 years of construction, made India’s first nuclear submarine fleet has finally launched. 26 Taiwan media reports, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be 27 couples southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh in India, Bangladesh, bordering the Bay of Visakhapatnam Naval Dockyard, first domestic nuclear submarines for India at the launching ceremony.

According to reports, Indian Defense Minister Antony will also take part in the ceremony. However, according to Indian officials said the so-called nuclear submarines launching ceremony tomorrow, but the sea into dry dock, the submarine remained in the dock of the shelves, but the Prime Minister’s wife will be based on the Indian Navy custom, cracking a bow of the boat only coconut.

official said, “water” after the ceremony, according to plan nuclear submarines will be off the dock within a few days, beginning the first dock in the port and berthing points for the safety of sea trials, after a few months If the normal performance of all systems, including the operation of nuclear reactors, the Navy will be departing in the next year trials, including the missile test program, expected in 2011 or 2012 into the military.

According to Navy officials requested anonymity, said the future into the military chain of command after nuclear submarines, naval personnel are only responsible for operations and maintenance, all matters related to nuclear missiles, are considered by the Prime Minister of India under the nuclear command the control.

ship construction for up to 11 years of nuclear submarine, named “destroy the enemy number”, cost 320 billion rupees (about $ 6.4 billion), Russia and India to obtain three nuclear submarines under license from the designer in The first one, a displacement of 5000 tons, Captain 104 meters, 10 meters wide, underwater speed of 22, the surface speed of 25 knots, powered by a heavy water reactor.

India’s nuclear submarine program began in 1976, is India’s first underground nuclear test after the third year, by India’s Defense Research Development Organization and the Indian National Atomic Energy Agency cooperation. However, since early in the submarine’s nuclear reactor-specific size and manufacturing are suitable for this type of reactor used uranium fuel on bottlenecks, making the submarine engineering behind them.

According to RIA Novosti, “Akula” class Nerpa nuclear-powered attack submarine will be the end of 2009 and leased to the Russian Navy service in India.

India want to build a nuclear submarine fleet

“chakra” is the ancient Indian mythology, god of war’s name, the name had been given to the 1980s, India leased a former Soviet Union. ” Charlie I “class nuclear submarines. It is reported that, “chakra” design reference to the Russian “Akula” class submarines, the reactor by the Indira Gandhi Atomic Research Centre developed.

water, the “chakras” of nuclear reactors and nuclear submarine hull structure will undergo rigorous testing, the boat has to go through the installation. If all goes well, the official end of next year aboard the submarine service.

sea-based nuclear delivery capability is still limited

While India developed nuclear submarines and submarine-launched nuclear missiles are busy, but India in building a “trinity” of nuclear forces, there are still many problems.

the history of India’s defense industry in order to “many failures, the huge waste of money without the ability to match”, coupled with poor domestic industrial base, associated with the development of nuclear submarine reactor core, hull pressure shell, solid rocket engines, guidance gyroscopes, nuclear warhead miniaturization technology in the Indian arsenal can not be realized, to rely on imports from Russia and Israel. Pakistan, “Asian Security Review” that India “has the concept of the world’s best designers, but also the world’s worst manufacturing plant” manufacturing capabilities to develop nuclear power in India became poor insurmountable obstacle.