The Indian Navy has repeatedly sounded alarm over delays in the acquisition of mine counter measure vessels as its fleet is down to just six ageing Karwar-class of minesweepers.
If, at any point in time in the future, India has a conflict situation at the seas, it is hoping that it wouldn't lose its warships and submarines even before they venture out to the seas from its naval bases. It is more of a worry than hope. But the point remains that Indian Navy suffers deficiencies in this category of naval preparedness for quite some time now and only now some counter-measures, the pun intended, are being taken.
As part of that effort, India is building up its capabilities to counter mines that would be laid by its enemies around the mouths of its harbours and naval bases, to catch Indian warships and submarine unawares, when they sail out to fight a maritime battle at the seas.
Underwater mines are cheap and can be planted closer to Indian waters with relative ease. Once deployed, these mines could cause huge damage and loss of warships to India, choking up the mouth of any harbour. Minesweeper of 1,000-tonnage are used to clear the harbour approaches and departure routes, sea lanes and offshore assets for shipping traffic. These minesweepers are equipped with high-definition sonars, acoustic and magnetic sweeps, and these can easily detect marooned and drifting mines, and engage them using remote-controlled systems like small underwater vehicles that detonate the mines from a safe distance.
While Pakistan Navy has three French-origin Munsif (Tripartite) class of minesweepers, China's People's Liberation Army Navy operates three mine countermeasure classes and a single mine layer class, such as the 10 vessels of the Type 081, two of the Type 082II and 17 of the Type 082 vessels. The US currently has just about 11 mine counter measure vessels in service, as it hardly needs minesweepers in its fleet in view of the dominating presence of its warship fleet that keep away enemy vessels close its coast or harbour.
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 2016 edition of Geopolitics.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
India's space economy set to soar
India's burgeoning space economy could see a substantial increase in its global share by 2040. At present, India's space sector contributes a modest $8 billion to the overall cake. However, the government has set its sights on an ambitious target, aiming for a five-fold surge in India's share of the global space economy.
CRITICAL NEED TO BOOST CONVENTIONAL SUBMARINE FLEET
VENUGOPAL MENON explains why India cannot afford to view the critical deficiency in Submarine force levels lightly
BEEFING UP OUR SUBMARINE FLEET
In the last week of March, the Indian Navy displayed its submarine prowess. Eight of its submarines operated together in the Western Indian Ocean Region, a first in three decades, and one of its Scorpene submarines sailed to the Andaman Nicobar Islands, overlooking the Malacca Strait, a critical choke point for China. But how is the comparison with China? RITU SHARMA reports
ENHANCING CRUISE MISSILE CAPABILITY
India’s cruise missile capability has largely evolved as a credible conventional level deterrence since the turn of the new millennium. But much more needs to be done, writes AMARTYA SINHA
BOOSTING DEFENCE EXPORTS
Earlier, India was known to be an arms importer. But today, the country has come out of its comfort zone and found a place in the list of top-25 arms exporter nations argues AMARTYA SINHA
ENHANCING INDIA'S AIRBORNE SURVEILLANCE CAPABILITIES
Project NETRA represents a proactive initiative by ISRO to safeguard India's interests in space by mitigating the risks posed by space debris and other hazards, says GIRISH LINGANNA
THE HIMALAYAN TRIANGLE: WHY INDIA KEEPS BHUTAN SAFE FROM CHINA
India, given its special relationship with Bhutan, has been very wary about the possibility of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the signing of a boundary agreement between Bhutan and China, writes SIMRAN SODHI
TROOST, DESAI AND SANCTIONS
The Western sanctions against companies and individuals doing business with Russia have produced a complex set of reactions with lobbyists and shell companies working overtime to beat the rap. A GEOPOLITICS Bureau report
THE KOREA-GATE
India attaches great importance to “three principles of inclusiveness, trust and reciprocity’” for creating the basis for working more closely with like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific such as the Republic of Korea (ROK), better known as South Korea for “a free, peaceful and prosperous region”. Prakash Nanda dissects the relationship and the way ahead
Pushpak RLV-TD successfully lands autonomously
ISRO achieved another significant milestone in reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology with the successful landing of Pushpak (RLV-TD), the winged vehicle, autonomously on the runway.
