Postby Philip » 02 Apr 2020 23:14
Let's get some facts straight.The 4 extra improved Talwars is a good deal because all our yards are full of orders,badly behind in delays and huge cost escalation. The UKR,where almost all conventional powerplants for the Sov./ Ru. navy where made,after the spat with Ru,became unavailable. Russia is now beginning to manufacture warship powerplants all at home just like the manufacture of IL-476 aircraft,no longer assembled in Uzbekistan.
India has no problem with the UKR and will get its engines from there initially.
Two hulls are ready in Ru,plus with GSL building 2 more,with TOT, further vessels or even more advanced FFGs,etc. could be built in the future.The Shivalik and P-17As are also being built at GRSE,and MDL,but they are much larger,really DDG size while the Talwars pound for pound has a terrific package of firepower.BMos not only Klub,plus perhaps the LRSAM as on the Vizag class DDGs ,P-15A/Bs ( improved Delhis) .The IN decided upon this need several years ago as a speedy way to bolster its ASW/ multi- role capability against the PLAN/ PN. We know the accelerated beefing up of the Paki navy thanks to China,8 AIP subs plus DDGs and FFGs. These new vessels will carry some of the best of Chin missiles,both anti-ship and anti- air/missile. The IN which has an ambitious 200 ship navy is behind schedule mainly due to our DPSU yard delays.Take Scorpenf subs,5 yrs. delayed.One can go on about warshipx too but ,you get the picture.
Secondly,simply blaming Putin is specious,it's falling for western propaganda,particularly US which blames Russia and Putin for every global problem,except the CV bug which camf from China! There is not a shred of evidence that there are " deals" with this G-to- G deal,just as we've had the same with the US for manb ( expensive ) items. Such an allegation would also implicate our govt. too, which is most unlikely under the current regime.
I too am pissed off with Turkey about the attitude of its megalomaniac would- be sultan, but the vessel is urgently required and an advance has been paid. What we could do is shift the building of it to another yard like L&T if in the pvt. sectorand compensate HSL with another order! We previously got tankers from Italy, but the AW scandal
sanctioned the entire Leornado Group,a big mistake in my opinion.
Today all western nations have mega defence MNCs that have absorbed dozens of former independent cos. Imagine if there was a problem with a Lockheed subsidiary,would we ban every co. of it? This asinine policy saw the first Scorpene commissioned without torpedoes! I think that the issue still has not been rectified and our Kalvari subs are using older German fish as of now.
Coming back to the Talwars,they are the smallest sized multi-role FFGs capable of true blue-water ops on their own,capable of operating znywhere in the IOR and beyond in thd ICS,etc.. There is a yawning gap between the Talwars and the Kora class corvettes.
The P-28s,teally light frigates,is dedicated to ASW and to many analysts underarmed and very expensive too. The IN probably has in mind building a few more follow on Talwars at GSL after the 3rd. and 4th. are completed .There will be considerable cost-effectiveness,economy of scale etc. in having a large no. of the class.12 Talwars would be an excellent number for the IN packed as they are with top of the pops weaponry and sensors.