Race against the tide

With the Chinese navy's expansion spree altering power equations, India seeks self-reliance and strategic partnerships to protect its maritime interests

- SANJIB KR BARUAH

There is an ocean of difference between land and sea warfare. Of the 28 'significant and protracted' naval wars throughout history—ranging from the 5th century BC naval fights between the Greeks and the Persians to the naval battles in World War II—as many as 25 were won by the side with the larger fleet. Only three were won by smaller but technologically more advanced fleets. In naval warfare, numbers matter and, in most cases, determine the fate of a battle in the seas. That is why there would have been wide smiles all around in the Indian Navy on January 15 when three brand new frontline naval combatants—INS Nilgiri, INS Surat and INS Vaghsheer, all constructed at the Mazagon dockyard in Mumbai—were inducted into service.

A frigate, INS Nilgiri is the first ship of the P17A stealth frigate project. It has advanced features for enhanced survivability, sea-keeping and stealth. The INS Surat is the fourth and final ship of the Visakhapatnam-class P15B guided missile destroyer project and is equipped with state-of-the-art weapon-sensor packages and advanced network-centric capabilities. Both warships have an indigenous content of 75 per cent.

The conventional diesel-electric INS Vaghsheer—named after a deep sea predator of the Indian Ocean—is the sixth and final ship of the Kalvari-class submarines of the P75 project, which are based on the Scorpene-class submarines built in collaboration with the French Naval Group.