The undersea combat capabilities of the Indian Navy have lagged way behind that of China, especially in regard to nuclear-powered attack submarines, SSNs. Within this context, the Indian government sanctioned two SSNs. The financial costs of this move are immense, but there is a dire need to negate the strategic benefit accruing from China’s increasingly large fleet of submarines. SSNs are necessary to maintain a balance in the power dynamic of the IOR and beyond.
India’s submarine fleet is currently far behind what China boasts of with over 70 submarines, including 12 nuclear ones. India has only 19 submarines, of which a pitifully small two can be described as nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, purely for nuclear deterrence purposes. This leaves an enormous hole in India’s sustaining the possible undersea power exercises.
Partially approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Navy had demanded six SSNs; the government has approved only two, underlining a commitment to 90% indigenous content. This will make the submarines the first non-conventionally conventional submarines in the Indian Navy and a first for any other conventional submarine project worldwide.
The construction of these submarines is scheduled at the Ship Building Centre, which is located in Visakhapatnam. Their cost will reportedly come to around ₹15,000 crore or $1.8 billion. In any case, commissioning is likely by 2040- the SSNs are immensely complex and expensive to build.
SSNs are of paramount importance for India. For instance, these submarines can stay far away from their home ports for quite a long time. It is this peculiarity that has infused strategic interest into these submarines to protect the interest of India throughout the Indian Ocean. Moreover, SSNs can be regarded as highly effective underwater assets against adversary SSBNs. These ships can thus ensure the protection of aircraft carrier groups and execute anti-ship warfare, land attacks, and intelligence operations.
Retired Indian Navy submariner Commodore Anil Jai Singh said, “SSNs are a game changer. They’re a mighty platform with stealth and unlimited endurance. They can remain underwater indefinitely and operate far away from the port for long periods and at high speeds.”. Equipped with long-range missiles, they can alter the shape of maritime battle. His insights highlight that tactical advantages offered by SSNs to India acquire deep-strike capabilities and missions that cannot be reached through conventional submarines.
SSBNs are equipped with strategic nuclear weapons as their primary deployment is envisaged for nuclear deterrence. SSNs do not carry nuclear warheads. Their value lies in their tactical flexibility and ability to engage combat effectively in different warfare dimensions.
Since the lease of the Russian Akula-class submarine, INS Chakra, became due to expire in 2021, India had an SSN lacuna. The loss of INS Chakra sent the Indian Navy into a state of SSN unavailability, but the country could not lease another Akula-class submarine from Russia because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict that brought on global sanctions. That has pushed India to accelerate the sanction of indigenous SSN.
For India, the Akula-class submarine presented an invaluable experience in handling a nuclear-powered attack submarine. For instance, in one of its missions, it was reported that INS Chakra slipped out of Visakhapatnam harbor and spent over a month submerged in the Bay of Bengal, thus proving that India had the capability to deploy submarines with stealth in any scenario-when there was heightened tension between it and China.
China’s continued speedy expansion of submarines is, therefore, quite strategically challenging for India. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) operates at present more than 70 submarines, SSNs and SSBNs, and is expected to expand to 80 submarines by 2035. Such growing subsurface presence on the Indian eastern seaboard-underlined much by frequent PLAN visits to ports in Sri Lanka and Pakistan-had caused sufficient anxiety within India’s defense circles.
This is reflected by the facts that, in 2014, two PLAN submarines docked in Colombo, and, in 2016, a Chinese nuclear-powered submarine arrived in Karachi. China’s expanding underwater reach cannot be ignored.
According to reports, China’s nuclear submarine technology, constantly improving as it is, still lags behind that of the West and Russia. Chinese submarines reportedly are not nearly as silent as their required stealth might dictate, equating their quietness to Soviet designs of the 1970s. However, China continues to modernize its fleet and one which may soon become a potent threat to the US as well as the Indian Navy in the same region.
India has apparently succeeded with some Russian assistance in the first two avenues-one SSBN INS Arihant and the second one INS Arighat-and now is attempting to design and build an indigenously developed SSN with higher indigenous content.
In the experience of building nuclear submarines, India had miniaturized reactors on the Advanced Technology Vessel Project that powered the SSBN’s 83 MW reactors.
For the SSN program, India seems to be trying for even more powerful subs, perhaps carrying 190 MW reactors. In this pursuit, France can play an important role. French Naval Group is actually building a series of Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines for India already, and the company may be involved in SSN design and construction also.
During the 2023 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Paris, the two countries agreed on cooperation in Small Modular Reactors, which will open space for collaborations on naval reactors.
Draw lessons from would-be sister ships France is building for its own SSN fleet. France is also one of the few countries capable and willing to partner with India on high-technology defense projects, especially as Australia, the US, and the UK concentrate on their trilateral AUKUS partnership.
India’s decision to clear its SSN program speaks of a strategic shift in its priorities to the naval or military. Stories show that the Indian Navy put on hold its aggressive effort in building the 65,000-tonne Indigenous Aircraft Carrier or IAC-2 to focus on the development of its SSN program. While aircraft carriers are necessary to project power, SSNs present an option that is more flexibil and survivable given the rising capabilities of China’s navy.
Often termed “underwater fighter jets,” SSNs play a crucial role in maritime warfare by hunting enemy SSBNs and defending the carrier battle groups. Their capability to stay silent for long periods makes them ideal for long-range strike missions, anti-ship warfare, and intelligence gathering. Thus, the emphasis on SSNs underlines the growing salience of undersea warfare in India’s maritime strategy.
India has a 30-year submarine induction plan to add 24 submarines by 2030. All these have been delayed multiple times. For the 18 diesel-electric boats, only six Scorpene-class vessels have so far been inducted.
The plan to construct six SSN is required, but the first indigenous SSN is said not to arrive before 2040, critically limiting India’s submarine strength in the short term.
Nevertheless, the SSN programme represents a significant step forward in improving India’s naval capabilities. As the size of the Chinese Navy and its expanding submarine fleet continue to pose an insistent threat, India’s ability to design and commission its own SSNs will prove crucial in maintaining any nascent balance of power within the region.