Vayutuvan wrote:I thought India already has a blue water navy. We have at least one AC and possibly two in a year or two. Then at least two nuclear subs (right?). They don't count as Blue Water?
The Vikramaditya is back in dock after a refit. The fire onboard took her out of commission AGAIN. The Vikrant is due for commissioning on 01 Sept 2022. It will be ready only by mid 2023. The current fixed air wing fleet (MiG-29K) is not up to par. By the end of this year, either the Rafale M or the F-18SH will be chosen. Neither platform will live up to her full potential, because of the ski jump.
We have six modern SSKs (not all have been commissioned). Project 75I (six build SSK program) is listing aimlessly and as a result Project 76 (six build SSK program) cannot take off. Project 75 Alpha (six build SSN program) is still on the drawing board. The navy does not have a modern torpedo aboard her submarines. The navy has ZERO minesweepers. That was the negatives that I can think off.
The Arihant Class - while operated by the Indian Navy - is part of India's strategic nuclear triad. She is a SSBN, not a SSN. She has only one role - to launch nuclear-tipped SLBMs at the enemy, when given the order by India's Nuclear Command Authority. She does not conduct any other role (i.e. recon, strike, etc) like a SSN or even a conventionally powered SSK. She does not carry any anti-ship or cruise missiles - regardless of what wiki says - but she is armed with torpedoes for defensive purposes.
The positives are Project 15B (Vizag Class) are progressing well and so is the Nilgiri Class (Project 17A). After years of waiting, the Navy is finally getting a state of the art ASW helicopter (MH-60R). The fixed wing MPA fleet (P-8I) is also going strong and will be complemented by the C-295 in the years ahead. The Indian Navy's UAV capability will get a massive boost, if the MQ-9B is acquired by the GOI.
The Indian Navy has a lot of plugging in the gaping holes, before she can truly call herself a blue water navy.