Dominating the Triad of Underwater, Surface and Air

India has already emerged as a significant player in the global maritime theatre, with a substantive blue-water navy now operating in various long range deep water settings.

Dr Vijayalakshmy K Gupta IDAS (Retd)

Ijoined the office of CDA Navy in 1976 after my training as an Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS) officer. That year for the first time, the Indian Navy was allotted a major share of the defence capital budget. The total outlay was Rs. 258 crores and the Navy’s share of Rs. 92.76 crores was the highest amongst that of the services. Further, two-thirds of this was earmarked for fleet modernisation.

In the aftermath of the Bangladesh war, the Indian Navy – ‘the Silent Service’ - slowly emerged on its own out of the shadows of the Army and the Air Force. The Indian Navy was ranked as ninth largest in the world. However, it was only in the late 1990s that the Government of India acknowledged the geopolitical necessity of developing the Indian Navy for strategic, defence, economic and commercial reasons. A strong maritime build up by the Indian Navy ensued over the following years.

And, thus in the year 2011, when I superannuated as Secretary Defence Finance, the Navy’s capital budget was Rs. 13,149.02 crores. The modernisation budget estimate of Indian Navy in the financial year 2020-21 was Rs. 25,620 crores, registering an increase of 15.9% over the previous year.

Now, the Indian Navy is ranked fifth among the Navies of the world in terms of displacement (after the US, Chinese, Russian and British Navies). But, on the basis of the power in the waters, India gets placed 7th in the powerful navies’ list. The United States, Russia, China, Japan, United Kingdom and France are placed ahead of India generally in this list. The ranking is based on the naval power and weapons including aircraft carriers, vessels, destroyers, and corvettes.

The Indian Navy is a true threedimensional force, and its assets comprise all the three naval triad components of power - on surface, under the water, and in the air. Increasingly, the Navy has also invested on space-based cyber and networks assets. A focussed and multi-pronged plan has been pursued to harness national capabilities and enhance not just the fleet, platforms, missiles and weapons, but also build supporting infrastructure, logistics, training facilities, dockyards and additional bases of operation. This was achieved by identifying and building upon the core national strengths in the maritime domain, with a view to focus investment in niche areas and best practices for a long-term development.

The infrastructure and indigenous shipbuilding industry has also added to the Navy’s fast pace progress as a virtuous cycle of demand and supply, driving operational might and industrial capabilities. The Navy today justifiably prides itself as a ‘Builder’ with almost all ships and submarines being designed and built in Indian shipyards and equipped with indigenous steel, weapons, sensors, communication and machinery.

Navy has always been forward looking and developing indigenous facilities, besides encouraging manufacturing of spares and re-engineering systems. India has already emerged as a significant player in the global maritime theatre, with a substantive blue-water navy now operating in various long range deep water settings. The Indian Navy has parallelly forged operational arrangements with the littoral Indian Ocean region countries and this has given it operational turn around facilities in more than two dozen ports in the region, thereby increasing its reach and sustenance manifold.

Former Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba had unveiled the blueprint for a relentless naval build-up intended to achieve India’s position as the leading naval power in the Indian Ocean region. He said, “If I crystal gaze ahead to 2050, we will be a 200 ship, 500 aircraft world class Navy.”

I am sure the nation stands as one to realise the vision of the Indian Navy – to be truly a powerful force for ensuring maritime security, safety and stability in the region for all and exercising sovereignty over sea spaces of India.

So, Indian Navy will continue to exercise the national will in India’s maritime area of interest and exert power in its area of influence. And, also enhance its domination in the sea waters which is vital for our national security in its comprehensive sense in the coming decades.

--The author retired as Secretary Defence Finance and served as member TRAI. Presently she is the founder member of Society for Aerospace, Maritime and Defence Studies (SAMDeS).

Indian Navy completes the refit of Maldivian Ship

Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam completed the refit of Maldivian Coast Guard Ship MNDF CGS Huravee. Rear Admiral Sreekumar Nair, Admiral Superintendent handed over the ship to the Commanding Officer Major Hussain Rasheed at Visakhapatnam. Colonel Ahmed Thohir, Defence Advisor of Maldives to India, attended the ceremony wherein he conveyed the satisfaction of the Maldives Government and also read a message from the Minister of Defence, Govt. of Maldives on the excellent conduct of refit amidst the pandemic and thanked the Govt. of India, Indian Navy and HQENC for the company to ISRO much ahead of the contractual schedule at a program held here recently. The C32-LH2 tank is a developmental cryogenic propellant tank of aluminium alloy designed for improving the payload capability of GSLV MK-III launching vehicle.

The propellant tank was handed over by M S Velpari, Director (Operations), HAL to Dr V Narayanan, Director (LPSC), ISRO in the presence of S Somanath, Director (VSSC) andr senior scientists from ISRO and senior officers from HAL, participating in virtual mode.

Somanath, Director, VSSC, ISRO acknowledged HAL’s contributions to India’s space program as one of the valuable partners of ISRO in its long journey. While appreciating HAL’s capability in absorbing any technological advancements and developments in productionizing any types of space hardware and structures for the space launch vehicle, he highlighted HAL’s role in developing eco-system by sharing the knowledge among private players towards strengthening the supply chain. Dr. V Narayanan, Director (LPSC), while receiving the hardware, thanked the entire workforce of HAL for successful production of the developmental project. smooth and safe completion of the refit.

The ship arrived in Visakhapatnam for its refit on 22 Feb 20. Notwithstanding the limitations imposed due to COVID19 pandemic since March 20, dedicated efforts and careful planning & execution of works by Naval Dockyard with adequate safety enabled major refurbishment/replacement of main propulsion and auxiliary equipment. Renewal of ship’s power generation equipment has provided a major fillip to the ship’s endurance and capability. Further, several systems and equipment were overhauled successfully to ensure better performance and sustainability

M S Velpari reiterated HAL’s commitment to bring this mutual cooperation and support to the utmost level. He also explained HAL’s preparedness to venture into complete realization of PSLV & GSLV launch vehicles progressively from raw material stage to launch stage including managing the entire supply chain of ISRO.

The four meter diametric tank is of eight meter length to load 5755 Kg propellant in the 89 cubic meter volume. Total length of weld carried out in the tank was 115 meter at different stages to the quality requirement of 100% tests on radiography, Die penetrant check and Leak proof. HAL has mastered the skills and technologies required for fabricating welded propellant tank of Aluminium ally to such stringent quality requirement.

HAL as a strategic reliable partner, has been associating with ISRO for the of the ship for service with the Maldives Coast Guard during the upcoming operational cycle. The ship was put through extensive harbour and sea trials, to achieve full operational readiness.

MNDF CGS Huravee (originally INS Tillanchang) is an indigenously built Trinkat class patrol vessel constructed at Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, Kolkata in 2001. Subsequently, it was gifted to Maldives by the Government of India in 2006 to strengthen the partnership between the two nations and to cooperate further for the maritime

HAL Delivers Biggest Ever Cryogenic Propellant Tank to ISRO

HAL has delivered the biggest cryogenic propellant tank (C32 LH2) ever fabricated by

safety of the Indian Ocean Region. prestigious space programs since last five decades. HAL has supplied critical structures, tankages, satellite structures for the PSLV, GSLV-MkII and GSLV-MkIII launch vehicle. Various new projects like PS2/GS2 integration, Semi-Cryo structure fabrication and manufacture of cryo & semi cryo engines are being taken up at HAL, for which setting up of necessary infrastructure & facilities is nearing completion.

HAL has also supported ISRO right from the developmental phase of Crew Atmospheric Re-entry Experiment, PAD Abort test for Crew Escape for Human Space Mission and is currently building hardware for full-fledged launch vehicle GSLV Mk-III for Gaganyaan program.