Indian Navy Developments & Discussions

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On February 12, a joint statement issued in Paris by Prime Minister Modi and President Macron mentioned the P75- Advanced Scorpene (AS) project. India plans to buy these three additional submarines from France reportedly for Rs 33,000 crore. No details were released but these vessels are believed to be a 2000-ton Scorpene with features borrowed from the French Shortfin Barracuda class SSK. Each P75-AS submarine is believed to cost upwards of Rs 10,000 crores. That’s the cost of the last Arihant class submarine the S4* ordered in 2014.

Or will the money spent importing three French P75-AS Scorpenes and six Project-75(I) units be better spent towards kickstarting indigeneous submarine projects. For the cost of three Scorpene-AS, India could build four indigenous Arihant class nuclear submarines, reconfigured as attack submarines. The navy would have funds left over to design the P76 indigeneous submarine leveraging all of India’s submarine building expertise for a new line of ‘Born in Bharat’ SSKs. The project team could source the detailed design documents of the Scorpene submarines currently held by the Indian Navy’s SDG (obtained from Armaris, the Franco-Spanish company which signed the 2005 Scorpene submarine contract).


I completely agree with the above opinion. Going for so costly SSKs makes no sense when our own indigenous SSBNs are cheaper. We can make Arihant class SSGNs in place of foreign SSKs.
 
Indian Navy needs to establish forward basing areas near the Malacca Straits for AShM and fuel/supply depots ASAP.

Based on information in alerts shared via the international Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), the Chinese drills occurred in an area roughly 400 miles (340 nautical miles) to the southeast of the Australian city of Sydney. An Emirates flight heading from Sydney in Australia to New Zealand’s Christchurch was reportedly directly hailed by the Chinese flotilla warning the aircraft to stay at least 19 nautical miles away from where they were operating.
The PLAN’s Type 055 destroyer Zunyi, Type 054A frigate Hengyang, and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu have been sailing south in international waters to the east of Australia since at least last week.
https://www.twz.com/news-features/chinas-sudden-live-fire-naval-drills-off-australia-rattle-camberra

PLAN is preparing for A2/AD for the second layer of defence (Indian Navy-US Navy-Australian Navy) post a breakout of the island chain defence.

The Malacca Strait chokepoint (4) question has been weighing on my mind for some time and the main problem Indian Navy will face is that PLAN will deploy merchant vessels with containerized C-802, YJ 12, YJ 18 missiles before sending in their main fleets.

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The Chinese merchant fleet has grown rapidly in recent years, doubling in capacity over the past decade. The average size of a Chinese merchant ship is easily ~ 40,000 tons. Even if built to commercial standards (likely), capable of surviving multiple hits from most AShM (Harpoon-KH 35-Exocet class).

To reduce casualties, the Indian Navy can deploy sensor-shooter USV (unmanned surface vessel) and UUV (unmanned underwater vessel) teams to pick apart this merchant vessel and force PLAN fleets to stand and fight Indian Navy-Australian Navy-US Navy joint fleets as the second line of defence.

Another advantage would be to ensure resupply and refueling lines are kept open for use and prevent the Chinese from sneaking a submarine fleet and blockading the Indian Navy out of reach of it's home bases.


Sensor Team :
  • A large unmanned surface combat vessel can be mounted with an 'S-Band, X-Band' AESA radar like the Chinese JARI-USV-A "Orca" .


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  • Unmanned Underwater Vessels can be launched from unmanned surface combat vessels or an XUUV like the Manta Ray uncrewed underwater vehicle to conduct hydrographic surveys.
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/topic...logical-sciences/unmanned-underwater-vehicles


Shooter Team :
  • Different hull forms of tons and VLS configurations can be used to launch coordinated attacks on the merchant vessels and even ASROC/SMART style torpedos may be deployed to deter Chinese submarine packs.
leidos-sna-usvs.jpg


https://www.twz.com/air/navy-to-sim...cus-on-containerized-payloads-that-look-alike
  • Unmanned Surface Vessels could be equipped containerized UVLM/SLS systems that can launch BrahMos missiles or cheaper, smaller and more short ranged munitions like NASM-SR can be quad packed
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https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...tins-optionally-unmanned-surface-vessel-ousv/
  • Kamikaze AUV/UUVs may also be deployed to make interception difficult and add a new dimension to the offensive.

https://www.navalnews.com/naval-new...ater-drone-project-to-dominate-the-black-sea/


Loader/Control Team :
  • Optionally manned (highly automated) motherships can be used to deploy and control the LUSV/SUSV and UUVs and cause maximum damage while minimizing casualties.

  • Additional sensors like "S-band + X-band" AESA radar system and EO/IR may be deployed on these motherships to detect threats and take decisions as necessary or seek help from the main Indian naval forces deployed nearby.
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https://www.defstrat.com/magazine_articles/drone-motherships-make-debut/
  • Using modular payloads, the motherships can rapidly resupply and return the USV/UUV back into the fight and ensure that force presence is effective in the theatre.

Production Capability
  • While MDL and GRSE are expected to be occupied with P 17B, P 18A/B, Scorpene Follow-On, P 75I, NGC, etc and CSL with IAC-2 and NGMV, smaller shipyards like GSL and L&T Kattupalli may be used to churn out these ships and deploy them by the early 2030s.
 

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