 "Despite launch of new stealth destroyer, navy still faces major fleet shortfall")
Amid celebrations over the launch of INS Mormugao at Mazagon Dock, Mumbai (MDL), on Saturday — the second of four destroyers MDL is building under Project 15B — there is growing concern over capacity shortfall in Indian defence shipyards for equipping the Indian Navy that desperately needs more warships.
India’s defence ministry has determined that the “new challenges” of the Indian Ocean require a vastly expanded navy. Yet, against a projected requirement of 212 warships and submarines, the navy currently has just 139.
The navy has been steadily growing. In 1964, the cabinet had approved 138 ships and submarines for the navy. In 2012, the defence ministry raised this to 198 vessels. In May, Parliament’s standing committee for defence (the Committee) said in a report that the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP), which stipulates force levels for the 15-year period, 2012-27, states: “A requirement of 212 vessels and 458 aircraft have been contemplated for the Indian Navy in MCPP 2012-27.”
The Committee reasoned: “The Maritime Security Environment of the country has undergone a sea-change (pun apparently unintentional).”
Explaining the increase, it lists out the navy’s additional responsibilities: coastal security against sea-borne terrorism, counter-piracy duties, and “amplified hostilities in [the] Indian Ocean Region by our neighbouring states.” The last presumably refers to the growing threat from China.
To meet the shortfall, 45 warships, including six Scorpene submarines, are at various stages of construction in shipyards across India. But these would be sufficient only to replace older warships that are queuing up for decommissioning (retirement).
A defence ministry release today states that INS Mormugao is the fifth frontline warship (including the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant) to be launched in the last six years. It says eight capital warships — three destroyers, three frigates and two corvettes —were commissioned into the navy during this period.
This is a fraction of what is needed. Given a warship service life of 30 years, a fleet of 150 warships will see five warships retiring annually. Besides replacing these, the navy must commission another five warships each year till 2027, to meet the 212-warship target that year. Yet, instead of the 10 new warships required annually, the navy is commissioning one or two.
The parliamentary committee has criticised this worrying gap. It has specifically highlighted the lack of impetus in replacing “ageing platforms [that] would be de-commissioned in the next 10-12 years. Its report draws attention to six “Mine Counter Measure Vessels” that are over 25 years old. Negotiations to build replacements for these have been mired in ministerial process and allegations of corruption.
Warship building is slow, painstaking work, involving the integration of multiple weapons systems and sensors, aviation structures and battle hardened electronics that can survive battle. INS Mormugao, which was launched on Saturday, is still only a 2,844-tonne hull. It will take at least another 2-3 years to construct its superstructure and integrate the weapons, sensors and machinery that will transform it into a 7,300-tonne stealth destroyer.
Well before that, several other warships will enter service. INS Chennai, the third and last destroyer of Project 15A, will be commissioned next month. INS Kalvari, the first of six Scorpene submarines being built at MDL under Project 75, will join the fleet by end-2016, followed by five others at 9-10 month intervals. INS Kiltan and Kavaratti, two anti-submarine corvettes being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata (GRSE), are expected next year.
Industry analysts note that India has the capability to build frontline warships, but not enough capacity to meet its needs. A major reason for that has been the reservation of warship building for the defence ministry’s own four shipyards: MDL, GRSE, Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), and the newly acquired Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL). Private sector shipyards that have recently established promising capabilities are regarded as “inexperienced” and only given orders for smaller, less complex vessels. These include L&T’s Hazira shipyard and its new facility at Katupalli, near Ennore; Reliance Defence’s shipyard at Pipavav; and ABG Shipyard in Gujarat.
With private sector capacities under-utilised, continuing shortfalls are building pressure for the procurement of warships from overseas. Moscow has offered to build and supply four stealth frigates, which are derivatives of six Talwar-class frigates that the navy inducted over the last decade. The navy, which has steadfastly pursued the path of indigenisation, may be left with no option but to look overseas.
India’s defence ministry has determined that the “new challenges” of the Indian Ocean require a vastly expanded navy. Yet, against a projected requirement of 212 warships and submarines, the navy currently has just 139.
The navy has been steadily growing. In 1964, the cabinet had approved 138 ships and submarines for the navy. In 2012, the defence ministry raised this to 198 vessels. In May, Parliament’s standing committee for defence (the Committee) said in a report that the Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP), which stipulates force levels for the 15-year period, 2012-27, states: “A requirement of 212 vessels and 458 aircraft have been contemplated for the Indian Navy in MCPP 2012-27.”
The Committee reasoned: “The Maritime Security Environment of the country has undergone a sea-change (pun apparently unintentional).”
Explaining the increase, it lists out the navy’s additional responsibilities: coastal security against sea-borne terrorism, counter-piracy duties, and “amplified hostilities in [the] Indian Ocean Region by our neighbouring states.” The last presumably refers to the growing threat from China.
To meet the shortfall, 45 warships, including six Scorpene submarines, are at various stages of construction in shipyards across India. But these would be sufficient only to replace older warships that are queuing up for decommissioning (retirement).
A defence ministry release today states that INS Mormugao is the fifth frontline warship (including the indigenous aircraft carrier INS Vikrant) to be launched in the last six years. It says eight capital warships — three destroyers, three frigates and two corvettes —were commissioned into the navy during this period.
This is a fraction of what is needed. Given a warship service life of 30 years, a fleet of 150 warships will see five warships retiring annually. Besides replacing these, the navy must commission another five warships each year till 2027, to meet the 212-warship target that year. Yet, instead of the 10 new warships required annually, the navy is commissioning one or two.
The parliamentary committee has criticised this worrying gap. It has specifically highlighted the lack of impetus in replacing “ageing platforms [that] would be de-commissioned in the next 10-12 years. Its report draws attention to six “Mine Counter Measure Vessels” that are over 25 years old. Negotiations to build replacements for these have been mired in ministerial process and allegations of corruption.
Warship building is slow, painstaking work, involving the integration of multiple weapons systems and sensors, aviation structures and battle hardened electronics that can survive battle. INS Mormugao, which was launched on Saturday, is still only a 2,844-tonne hull. It will take at least another 2-3 years to construct its superstructure and integrate the weapons, sensors and machinery that will transform it into a 7,300-tonne stealth destroyer.
Well before that, several other warships will enter service. INS Chennai, the third and last destroyer of Project 15A, will be commissioned next month. INS Kalvari, the first of six Scorpene submarines being built at MDL under Project 75, will join the fleet by end-2016, followed by five others at 9-10 month intervals. INS Kiltan and Kavaratti, two anti-submarine corvettes being built at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers, Kolkata (GRSE), are expected next year.
Industry analysts note that India has the capability to build frontline warships, but not enough capacity to meet its needs. A major reason for that has been the reservation of warship building for the defence ministry’s own four shipyards: MDL, GRSE, Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL), and the newly acquired Hindustan Shipyard Ltd (HSL). Private sector shipyards that have recently established promising capabilities are regarded as “inexperienced” and only given orders for smaller, less complex vessels. These include L&T’s Hazira shipyard and its new facility at Katupalli, near Ennore; Reliance Defence’s shipyard at Pipavav; and ABG Shipyard in Gujarat.
With private sector capacities under-utilised, continuing shortfalls are building pressure for the procurement of warships from overseas. Moscow has offered to build and supply four stealth frigates, which are derivatives of six Talwar-class frigates that the navy inducted over the last decade. The navy, which has steadfastly pursued the path of indigenisation, may be left with no option but to look overseas.