India builds 6 nuclear attack submarines to counter China

New Delhi has begun the process of building six nuclear attack submarines to boost its naval power projection capabilities.

Nuclear submarine INS Chakra in service with the Indian Navy. Photo: NDTV.

"The process has begun, it is a top secret project, that's all I can say," Sputnik quoted Indian Navy Commander Sunil Lanba as saying on December 1. The project to build a nuclear submarine fleet was approved by New Delhi in February 2015.

India needs to equip its strategic nuclear submarine force to deal with the Chinese navy. Relations between the two countries have become tense, standing on the brink of war due to the conflict in the Doklam plateau in the middle of this year. Recently, Chinese warships were present at the Pakistani port of Gwadar, an action that India described as a "security challenge that needs to be addressed".

China has also been regularly sending submarines to the Indian Ocean to participate in anti-piracy patrols since 2013. "It is very strange to send submarines for anti-piracy patrols. We have assessed the threat from Chinese submarines," said Admiral Lanba.

Nuclear submarines are very expensive to build, but they have many advantages over conventional diesel-electric submarines. Nuclear submarines have high speed, long range, and the ability to stay submerged for much longer without having to surface to refuel. This ability makes nuclear submarines the most suitable choice for strategic deterrence missions, including carrying long-range ballistic missiles.

The new submarines are part of the Made in India program, an initiative proposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to promote manufacturing of products on the country's territory,reduce New Delhi's dependence on foreign defense firms.

Currently, the Indian Navy only owns two nuclear-powered submarines, including the self-built INS Arihant and INS Chakra, a Project 971 Shchuka-B submarine leased from Russia until 2022.

According to VNE