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Modernisation of the Indian Navy - 2020
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Issue Vol 20.4 Oct-Dec 2005 | Date : 08 Aug , 2012

Corvettes. We have 21 missile corvettes but only 4 ASW corvettes. While we have adequate numbers of the former, the number of ASW corvettes is grossly inadequate and needs to be increased substantially. Four are on order with the GRSE but these will only suffice to replace the four presently in service. We need to greatly enhance our ASW capability and over the XIth and XIIth plan periods build another 8 so as to maintain a force level of a minimum 12 ASW corvettes. Needless to say that the missile corvettes now in commission will need to be replaced as and when they phase out.

Mine Counter-Measures Vessels.  Mine warfare has been effectively used in the past and we need to have a credible capability to counter it. A look at Jane’s Fighting Ships will reveal that all our MCM vessels are well past their prime and need replacement. While they can still effectively fulfill the missions they were originally designed for, the sophistication of mines they are required to counter has increased. Mines today are far  “smarter” than the ones of yesteryear and we need modern, hi-tech MCM vessels to replace our existing fleet. The sooner this is done the better.

The Marine commandos of the Navy are a highly professional force capable of delivering results out of all proportion to their size.

Offshore Patrol Vessels. Blue Water presence and patrol is an important mission of the Navy and in the future many more ship days at sea will be required to fulfill this mission. It is not cost effective to utilize expensive high value ships like destroyers for this and hence OPVs are required in larger numbers. We have only five and need to build up this figure to 12 in the first instance to patrol our offshore oil fields and islands, as also to monitor the shipping lanes.

Fast Attack Craft. These are needed for the Light Intensity Maritime Operations (LIMO) that the Navy is required to conduct off the Gujarat and Tamil Nadu coasts, as also for Seaward Defence of ports and Islands. The present holding of eight is grossly inadequate. At least four each are required for LIMO duties off Tamil Nadu and Gujarat and five each for the four operational maritime commands making a total of 28 FACs. These ships will also be very handy to supply to friendly nations as and when required.

Special Operations.  The Marine commandos of the Navy are a highly professional force capable of delivering results out of all proportion to their size. Suffice it to say that their numbers need to be doubled and state-of-the-art equipment provided to fulfill their missions.

Aviation

Surveillance. One of the greatest weaknesses of the Navy today is its Long Range Maritime Patrol and Surveillance capability. We have been operating two types of aircraft – the TU 142 and the IL 38, neither of them in large enough numbers to make it cost effective. While we had little choice when these aircraft were inducted we should standardise on one aircraft as soon as possible.

The numbers required are entirely depended on the extent of the area that we propose to keep under surveillance, but just for surveillance of the north Indian Ocean we need a fleet of around 30 LRMP aircraft.

Unfortunately, there are not many choices. The IL 38s in our inventory are reportedly being upgraded and between the two, the life cycle costs for the IL38s are much lower, and so in the absence of any other aircraft, we should increase our Fleet of IL38s and gradually phase out the TUs. The numbers required are entirely depended on the extent of the area that we propose to keep under surveillance, but just for surveillance of the north Indian Ocean we need a fleet of around 30 LRMP aircraft. The present Fleet of Dorniers and Islanders  is adequate for the “close to coast” surveillance and these numbers must be maintained. However the size of the UAV Fleet needs to be doubled such that a UAV flight is based at all Naval ports.

Strike. The Sea Harrier has been our front line strike aircraft for the past two decades. It has served us well but as age and attrition take their toll, this aircraft will have to be phased out by 2015, by which time the Naval LCA should have entered Service. A squadron of MiG 29Ks has already been ordered for the Vikramaditya and another squadron needs to be ordered now for the ADS, which should enter Service around 2013.

INS_Viraat_1Helicopters. While the Navy has fully supported the ALH programme, and a few of the utility version helicopter have been inducted into the Navy, as a weapon and sensor platform it falls short of Naval expectations. It can, and will, be used in this role from small ships, but Naval engagements take place at such long ranges that endurance and time on task at extended ranges is essential in a ship borne helicopter. A medium lift helicopter of about 10 to 12 tons will definitely be required to replace the Sea Kings between 2010 and 2020. I believe the Army too needs such a helicopter, and perhaps the Air Force as well, so it would be cost effective if such a helicopter could be produced by HAL under license and fitted out to meet the requirements of each Service.

Network Centric Operations

The maritime battle space is becoming transparent and much larger due to the extended ranges of weapons and sensors and reaction times are getting shorter. It is vital that the exchange of information and communications between units is speeded up. While units in close formation are all networked, dispersed formations must use the HF communication band for networking, which gives away their position.

India is a maritime country and its future lies at Sea in more ways than one – not just for ‘nuclear deterrence’ but also for trade, economic prosperity, influence, diplomatic initiatives and a host of other things.

It is, therefore, absolutely essential that a Navy- ISRO partnership is forged to put dedicated Naval satellites in orbit to network all units and shore headquarters. This is imperative for a 21st century Navy operating well away from its shores.

Shipyards

The country cannot continue to buy a Navy – it has to build one. The Indian Navy has been sworn to self-reliance and indigenisation from its inception and works very closely with Indian industry to develop shipboard equipment. Defence shipyards are the Navy’s “right arm” so to speak. We have three dedicated Defence Shipyards but they have not been able to produce all the ships that the Navy needs. Even today we have to import ships to meet the demands of a growing Navy. The primary reason for this is the long build times for ships, which is due to antiquated equipment and/or building methods in our shipyards. Shipyard productivity has to improve to a level where they can meet all the requirements of the Navy. To modernize the Navy, we must first begin by modernizing our shipyards so that they are capable of delivering quality ships on schedule.

Manpower

The Navy has always used cutting edge technology and in the future equipment will become more and more complex. To be able to maintain it and exploit it operationally we will need highly motivated personnel with sound technical knowledge. An ultra-modern Naval Academy is being established at Ezhimala in Kerala where all future officers will be trained, and if they are to cope with the complexities of 21st century equipment and warfare, they must graduate with a B Tech degree. Our sailors too must have a solid technical foundation.

To reach that world, to engage that world, to influence that world and to ensure and enhance our Security, we need to expand and modernise our Navy.

Practically all the equipment on board will be based on computers and electronics and all personnel must have a thorough grounding in these subjects.

Conclusion

India is a maritime country and its future lies at Sea in more ways than one – not just for “nuclear deterrence” but also for trade, economic prosperity, influence, diplomatic initiatives and a host of other things. For far too long we have been calling the Indian Ocean our “Backyard”. It is now our front yard.  Today, more than ever before, India is reaching out – engaging the world, talking to the world and trading with the world. That world lies across the Oceans, not across the Himalayas. To reach that world, to engage that world, to influence that world and to ensure and enhance our Security, we need to expand and modernise our Navy. While   the Indian Navy has come a long way since independence, and is today “Steady and On Course” towards a bright future, the pace of expansion and modernisation needs to be speeded up if it is to adequately support India’s standing in the comity of nations in the 21st century.

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Admiral Madhvendra Singh

Admiral Madhvendra Singh

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