THE INDIAN NAVY: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES IN INDIGENOUS SHIPBUILDING

India has not yet reached the stage where its warships can be fitted with entirely indigenous weapon systems and sensors. Significant strides have been made in this respect. But the development of a self-sufficient warship industry remains somewhat distant, writes SANJAY BADRI-MAHARAJ

- SANJAY-BADRI MAHARAJ

The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) of the US in a classified document has stated that India’s naval growth has slowed down due to ‘New Delhi’s determination to build its indigenous ship production capacity’. The CIA believes that this trend will continue as India searches for designs, subsystems, and technology transfer agreements for domestic production as opposed to quicker acquisitions through outright foreign purchases.

In 2020, India continues its naval surface combatant construction programme, relying almost exclusively on local designs and also increasingly on local systems. These designs and construction programmes encompass a wide range of ships from an aircraft carriers to destroyers and frigates to missile boats and shallow water ASW craft. Each of these designs promises to offer strengths and weaknesses and several are in an advanced state of construction.

The Indian Navy is one of the largest in the world. It currently has 1 aircraft carrier, 1 amphibious transport dock, 8 Landing ship tanks, 11 destroyers, 13 frigates, 1 nuclear-powered attack submarine, 1 Ballistic missile submarine, 14 conventionally-powered attack submarines, 22 corvettes, 10 large offshore patrol vessels, 4 fleet tankers and various auxiliary vessels and small patrol boats and has a personnel strength of 10,393 officers and 56,835 other ranks.