India leases second nuclear submarine from Russia.
The nuclear submarine lease agreement was signed following a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last weekend.
According to Vedomosti, Russia has just signed an agreement allowing India to lease a second Project 971 Shchuka-B (NATO designation: Akula) nuclear attack submarine from Russia. This agreement is part of an intergovernmental military contract worth more than $6 billion, approved by the leaders of the two countries at the BRICS summit (Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Brazil) held on October 15.
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| Two Shchuka-B class ships are awaiting overhaul at the Severodvinsk shipyard. Photo: Airbase.ru. |
This submarine will undergo a major overhaul and modernization by Russia before being handed over to India. The overhaul process includes repairing the ship's electrical systems and upgrading its electronic equipment.
Russia will also replace the 28 RK-55 Granat cruise missiles (with a range of 3,000 km) on this submarine with the Klub-S missile system (with a range of 300 km) under the Missile Export Control Agreement (MTCR), which prohibits the export of missiles with a range exceeding 300 km.
Russia and India also signed a series of intergovernmental agreements on military cooperation. Most notably, Russia will sell four S-400 long-range air defense missile systems to India. Previously, Russia had only sold this system to China for $2 billion.
Mikhail Barabanov, editor-in-chief of Moscow Defense magazine, said that India had requested Israeli corporations to develop the Barak-8 air defense system. However, its technical and tactical capabilities did not meet the country's requirements, forcing them to turn to Russia's S-400 system.
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| A missile launcher vehicle for the S-400 missile system. Photo: RT. |
India has also decided to order four Project 11356 missile frigates from Russia. The first will be built in Russia, and the remaining ones will be completed by India using technology transferred from Russia.
The Project 971 Shchuka-B nuclear-powered attack submarine was officially commissioned by the Soviet Union in 1986. The upgraded version is equipped with an OK-650M nuclear reactor, allowing the submarine to reach a maximum speed of up to 65 km/h while submerged. The Shchuka-B can dive to a maximum depth of 600 m, double that of similar American submarines. It is equipped with 4 x 533 mm torpedo tubes (28 torpedoes) and 4 x 650 mm torpedo tubes (12 torpedoes), 3 x Igla-M anti-aircraft missile launchers, and 28 RK-55 Granat cruise missiles. India leased its first Project 971 submarine from Russia in 2007. This submarine, designated K-152 Nerpa in the Russian Navy, was later renamed INS Chakra in the Indian Navy. The lease agreement, from 2012 to 2022, was worth approximately $670 million. The total amount India spent to lease two Project 971 submarines reached $2 billion. |
According to VNEpress
