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Indian Navy

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Indian Navy Flag
Indian Navy Flag

The Indian Navy (Hindi: भारतीय नौसेना, Bharatiya Nau Sena) is the naval branch of the Armed Forces of India. In terms of personnel, it is the world's fifth largest navy[1] and is well-armed relative to other navies operating in the Indian Ocean. It presently operates over 180 vessels, including one aircraft carrier.

History of the Indian Navy

Main article: History of the Indian Navy

The Indian Navy was established by the British while India was a colony. The British East India Company came to India in 1608. At the Battle of Swally in 1612 they encountered and defeated the Portuguese. This encounter emphasised the need for a naval force to protect commerce and resulted in formation of what was then called the Honourable East India Company's Marine. It was responsible for the protection of the East India Company's trade in the Gulf of Cambay and the river mouths of the Tapti and Narmada. The officers and the men of this force went on to play an important role in surveying the Arabian, Persian and Indian coastlines.

Although Bombay (now Mumbai) had been ceded to the British in 1662, they physically took possession of the island on 8 February 1665, only to pass it on to the East India Company on 27 September 1668. As a consequence, the Honourable East India Company's Marine also became responsible for the protection of trade off Bombay.

By 1686, with British commerce having shifted predominantly to Bombay, the name of this force was changed to Bombay Marine. This force rendered unique service, fighting not only the Portuguese, Dutch and French, but also interlopers and pirates of various nationalities. The Bombay Marine was involved in combat against the Marathas and the Sidis and participated in the Burma War in 1824. In 1830, the Bombay Marine was renamed His Majesty's Indian Navy.

In recognition of the services rendered during various campaigns, its title was changed to Royal Indian Marine in 1892, by which time it consisted of over 50 vessels. [2]

In 1934 the Royal Indian Marine was reorganised into the Royal Indian Navy (RIN). At the start of the Second World War it was very small and had eight warships, though this increased during the war.

India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, though senior officers were initially drawn from the Royal Navy. The "Royal" title was initially kept as George VI remained head of state and vessels were known as His Majesty's Indian Ships (HMIS).

When India became a republic within the Commonwealth on 26 January 1950, it became known simply as the Indian Navy, and its vessels as Indian Navy Ships (INS).

Major Conflicts

The first involvement of the Navy in any conflict came during the Liberation of Goa in 1961 with the success of Operation Vijay.

The Navy has been involved in 2 wars with Pakistan. While its activity in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 largely involved patrolling of the coast, India's navy played a significant role in the bombing of Karachi harbour in the 1971 war. The name given to the attack was Operation Trident which was launched on December 4. Owing to its success, it has been celebrated as Navy Day ever since. The attack was followed by Operation Python before the crux of the war shifted to the east.

INS Rajput was instrumental in sinking Pakistan's premier submarine PNS Ghazi which posed a significant threat in the Bay of Bengal, while INS Nirghat and Nipat sank a destroyer each and INS Veer accounted for a minesweeper. The naval aircraft, Sea Hawks and Alizés, were also instrumental in sinking many gunboats and merchant navy vessels. There was one major casualty, the frigate Khukri (sunk by Hangor) with another vessel INS Kirpan damaged in the western sector, but on the eastern front the opposing Pakistan Navy took a severe beating. The blockade of East Pakistan port with major naval presence proved to be a vital link in the war. Ultimately it was a series of decisive operations in which the Indian Navy proved its superiority by routing its counterpart.

Type of Vessel Indian Navy losses Pakistan Navy losses
Destroyers 0 2, PNS Khaibar and Shahjahan*(damaged)
Frigates 1, INS Khukri** 0
Submarines 0 1, PNS Ghazi
Minesweeper 0 1, PNS Muhafiz
Navy Aircraft 1, (Alize) 0
Patrol boats and Gunboats 0 7 Gunboats and 3 patrol boats
Merchant navy and others 0 11 (including one US ammunition ship)
*PNS Shahjahan was presumably damaged beyond repair.
**The second frigate INS Kirpan was damaged although it remained in service later on after salvaging it.

It was also instrumental in overthrowing the coup attempt by Tamil mercenaries in Maldives by pouring troops there in 1988. The campaign led by the Indian navy was known as Operation Cactus.

Each of the three Naval Commands has a Flag Officer Commanding in Chief. The commander of the Navy is the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The current CNS is Admiral Arun Prakash. The CNS is assisted by several other high ranking officers. Below is the list of various ranks of officers within the Indian Navy in descending order:

Indian Navy does not have Admiral of the Fleet. Admiral, the Chief of Naval Staff is the senior most rank in Indian Navy

Strength

The total strength of the navy in 2004 stood at 55,000, including 5,000 naval aviation personnel and 2,000 marines (MARCOS).

Structure of the Indian Navy

File:Tarangini.JPG
INS Tarangini is the only Sail Training Ship in the Indian Navy and is used to portray India's rich maritime history.

The Indian Navy is organised into three regional commands:

Another command, a joint Navy, Army and Air force command was set up in Andaman and Nicobar Islands in 2001 as a strategic area of defence. Recently the Indian Navy received a huge boost when INS Kadamba was commissioned at Karwar, 100 Km from Goa. This is the third operational naval base after Mumbai and Vishakapatnam and the first to be controlled exclusively by the Indian navy. It is being described by naval pundits as the largest such base in the area. Called 'Project Seabird' it is a multi-billion dollar plan to create an exclusive naval port with full facilities. Another base is being planned for the eastern shores at a cost of US$ 350 million[3].

The Indian Navy is divided into the following broad categories:

  • Administration
  • Logistics and Material
  • Training
  • The Fleets
  • The Naval Aviation
  • The Submarine Arm

Marine Commando Force

The Marine Commando Force (MCF) known as MARCOS is a special forces unit that was raised by the Indian Navy in 1987. Modelled after the US Navy SEALs and the Royal Marines it was created to handle reconnaissance, raids and Counter-terrorism in a maritime environment. Its first action was against the LTTE in Sri Lanka in 1988 as part of the IPKF. It is also currently deployed in Kashmir.

Weapons

File:Viraat lengthy.jpg
Aircraft carrier INS Viraat
File:15aa.jpg
Frigate INS Trishul
Warship INS Rajput
File:Nirghat.jpg
Corvette INS Nirghat
File:Giri Class Ship.jpg
Frigate INS Udaygiri
File:F41.JPG
Frigate INS Taragiri
File:MK42.JPG
The naval air-arm is an important component of the Indian Navy. Shown here Sea King Mk.42B assigned to the Indian naval destroyer INS Mysore.
File:91 TU-142M Aircraft.jpg
Tupolev Tu-142
File:Submarine india.jpg
A submarine of the Indian Navy

Ships

The fleet of the Indian Navy is a mix of indigenously built vessels and ships bought from foreign countries. Though the quality of Indian built ships is up to world standards, the required number of ships cannot be built by Indian shipyards.

Indian navy is expanding, particularly in carrier aviation. Current carrier, INS Viraat (formerly HMS Hermes), will be retired by the end of the decade. After ten years of negotiations the Indian government announced in January 2004 that they will buy a Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov (it will be called INS Vikramaditya). The entire deal was worth US $1.5 billion and is expected to enter the navy by 2008. This 45,000 tonne vessel will be equipped with 16 Mig-29Ks. This would seem to mark the end of the BAE Sea Harrier's role in the Indian Navy. Presently, 23 Sea Harriers are in service.

The names of all commissioned ships in the Indian Navy start with INS, meaning 'Indian Naval Ship'. Following are the various ship classes in the Indian Navy:

Aircraft Carriers

Destroyers

Frigates

Corvettes

Patrol Crafts

Minesweepers

Submarines

The Indian Navy currently maintains a fleet of 16 diesel powered submarines. These are primarily of Russian and German origin.

India has signed a deal for 6 Scorpene submarines with MESMA. These submarines would begin to join the Indian Navy from 2010-11 onwards.

Nuclear Powered Submarines

In January 1988 India leased for three years an ex-Soviet Charlie class nuclear powered guided missile submarine with eight Ametist (SS-N-7 Starbright) anti-shipping missile launchers. In the Indian Navy, the ship was christened INS Chakra, and the submarine was manned by an Indian crew. Upon expiration of the ship leasing term in 1991, the submarine was returned to Russia and joined the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy.

India has been working since 1985 to develop an indigenously constructed nuclear-powered submarine, one that is based on the Soviet Charlie II-class design, detailed drawings of which are said to have been obtained from the Soviet Union in 1989.The secretive Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project to provide nuclear propulsion for Indian submarines has been one of the more ill-managed projects of India. Although India has the capability of building the hull and developing or acquiring the necessary sensors, its industry has been stymied by several system integration and fabrication problems in trying to downsize a 190 MW pressurized water reactor (PWR) to fit into the space available within the submarine's hull. The Prototype Testing Centre (PTC) at the (Indira Gandhi Centre For Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, will be used to test the submarine's turbines and propellers. A similar facility is operational at Vishakapatnam to test the main turbines and gear box.

According to some accounts India plans to have as many as five nuclear submarines capable of carrying missiles with nuclear warheads. The Indian nuclear powered attack submarine design is said to have a 4,000-ton displacement and a single-shaft nuclear power plant of Indian origin. Once the vessel is completed, it may be equipped with Danush/Sagarika cruise missiles and advanced Indian made sonar systems. However, according to some analysts the most probable missile for the Indian submarine would be the BrahMos anti-ship cruise missile designed by NPO Mashinostroyeni and the Indian DRDO. But others point out that with a 300 Km range, the BrahMos would not be adequately long ranged, for a strategic asset requiring long reach.According to some defense sources the ATV program is scheduled to be launched in 2007 and to be commissioned sometime between 2008 to 2010.The navy is acquiring five ATV submarine. The other four will be delivered sometime between 2010 to 2025. Each unit will cost $1 Billion(U.S) This submarines will have a displacemnt of 9,000 lbs. It will also carry missiles of both Indian and Russian origin. Some rumors have arised indicating that India may lease two Akula submarines from Russia.

UAV Aircraft

Retired Ships

  • INS Vikrant (Decommissioned on January 31, 1997)
  • INS Chakra (Type 670 Skat "Charlie class" Returned to Soviet Union in Jan 1991)

Future Ships

Aircraft Carriers:

Destroyers:

Frigates:

Corvettes:

Minesweepers:

Landing ship Tank:

Future Submarines

  • Scorpene (2 in France and 4 in India by Mazagoan Docks Limited)
  • The ATV submarine project is still ongoing. (5-6 units planned) These submarines will join the navy by 2010.
  • Acoording to many reliable sources it is known that one or two akula submarines will join the forces between 2006 to 2008. India signed a deal with Russia in Moscow in the end of 2005. The deal is a lease/purchase deal.

Future Aircraft

Missiles, guns, artillery equipments

Submarine-based missiles

India has a number of foreign-produced cruise missile systems in its arsenal, which includes the Klub (SS-N-27). It also has some indigenous cruise missile systems under development, including the Sagarika and Lakshya variants. The Sagarika (Oceanic) began development in 1994 as a submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) which will have a range of at least 300 km (a few claim 1000 km); it is projected for deployment around 2005. Another successful program has been the development of the Yakhont Anti Ship Missile system into the BrahMos, by NPO and India's DRDO. The BrahMos has been tailored to Indian needs and uses a large proportion of Indian designed components and technology, for its fire control systems, Transporter erector launches, to its onboard nav-attack system.

Future plans

File:Gorshkov-01-model.jpg
A model of Admiral Gorshkov after reconfiguration.

India started the construction of a 37,500 tonne, 252 metre-long aircraft carrier in April 2005. The new carrier, with an estimated cost of Rs 4,000 crore, will operate 30 aircraft, including Naval LCA, MiG-29K, and Sea Harrier combat aircraft, as well as HAL Dhruv, Ka-31, and Sea King Mk.42 helicopters. The ship will be powered by four turbine engines and will have a range of 7,500 nautical miles, with a crew of 160 officers and 1400 men. The carrier is being constructed by state-run Cochin Shipyard Limited.[4]

In 2004, India bought the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Gorshkov for free. It will cost US$800 million to refit, and expected to join Indian Navy in 2008, while US$700 million will be spend to purchase 12 single-seat Mig-29K and 4 dual-seat Mig-29KUB, as well as facilities and procedures for training of pilots and technical staff, delivery of simulators, spare parts, and establishment maintenance on Indian Navy facilities. Also, 6 Kamov-31 attack and reconnaissance anti-submarine helicopters. Upgrades include removing missiles from the carrier foredeck to make way for a 14.3-degrees ski-jump.[5]

The Indian Navy is going through an intense phase of expansion, modernisation and upgrading. Currently, India is constructing 3 Shivalik class frigate, 3 Bangalore class destroyer, 4 Trinkat Class Fast Patrol Vessels, 2 Super Dvora Mk.II Class Fast Patrol Vessels, 1 Magar Class Amphibious Warfare Vessel, 3 Large LST Amphibious Warfare Vessels, 8 Mine Counter-Measures Vessels and 6 Scorpène class submarine. Yantar, plant in Kaliningrad was awarded a contract to build 3 additional 1135.6 frigates costing India US$1.56 billion. The price increase is due to more sophisticated armaments such as, BrahMos Cruise Missile. The navy has also got government's approval for additional 30 warships.

According to a report published by the US Congress, Indian Navy would be among the top 3 navies in the world by 2009. In 2004, the Ministry of Defence spent US $5.7 billion in arms purchases making India the developing world's leading military buyer. A major chunk of those purchases were made for the Indian Navy. India, is currently focusing on expanding its submarine fleet. According to some very reliable defense sources India is paying 2 billion dollars for the completion of 2 Akula class submarines which are 40 to 60% completed; 300 Indian navy personnel being trained in Russia for the operation of these submarines. India has finalised a deal with Russia, in which at the end of the lease of these submarines, it has an option to buy them. The ordering of the six scorpene submarines is part of project 75 which calls for 24 submarines in 30 years

References

  1. ^ Global Security article on the Indian Navy
  2. ^ India's construction of aircraft carrier.
  3. ^ A report on India's purchase of Admiral Gorshkov.
  4. ^ Scorpene deal
  5. ^ Project Seabird
  6. Template:LST(L)[6]
  7. ^ Mine-counter Measure vessel

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Indian Navy.

Template:Military of India2

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