Indian Navy Goes Nuclear

(New Delhi, India) The nation of India will soon be operating its own attack nuclear submarine with the addition of a Russian Akula-class boat to its fleet.

"With nuclear proliferation posing a greater threat along with Weapons of Mass Destruction, our unilateral policy of no-first-use necessitates that India possesses a credible and survivable nuclear deterrent including submarine-launched," Navy chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said yesterday while delivering a lecture on Navy's vision for the future.

India had in February this year tested a submarine-launched ballistic missile for the first time that would take another three years to be fully operational.

After a delay, Akula nuclear-powered submarine is likely to join service with Indian Navy next year, Mehta said, pointing out that the Navy would basically use the Russian-made submarine for training in personnel before they get to operate the indigenous nuclear-powered submarine that is under secret construction at the Mazagaon Docks in Mumbai.

So, there's secret construction of an Indian submarine being performed in Mumbai. By the way, the project is code named Advanced Technology Vehicle. Helluva secret and that's some code name, eh? Not at all like Treadstone.



Akula Class Submarine
Regarding the Russian submarine, it is an improved Akula II to be leased to the Indian Navy for ten years after delivery in late 2008. Right now, construction is being completed at Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard.

Reportedly, the boat is 110 meters long, dives to 600 meters, does 33 knots submerged and is capable of carrying and launching 12 cruise missiles. Russia is believed to operate at least a dozen Akula-class boats in the Pacific.

In summary, the Indian Navy will soon go nuclear with a Russian-made submarine concurrent with building an Indian-made nuclear submarine, all for the sake of providing the country with a survivable nuclear deterrent.