India is working closely with Spain to strengthen its naval and air defence capabilities. In line with that India could consider buying five naval submarines from Spain. This follows an agreement India has signed with Spain for procuring 56 C295MW Airbus aircraft worth Euro 2.5 billion, to replace the Indian Air Force (IAF) AVRO fleet.
"India is considering buying submarines and several countries including Spain are taking part in the tender. Spain considers that Navantia’s (a Spanish company) offer is very competitive in terms of quality, cost, transfer of technology and indigenisation. Navantia would be in charge of providing to the Indian Navy with state-of-the-art conventional Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) submarines – if the Indian government consider’s the offer," said Spain’s Ambassador to India, Jose Maria Ridao told this paper.
Meanwhile, India signed an agreement with Spain for the acquisition of 56 Airbus aircraft at a cost of Euro 2.5 billion.
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Analysis of satelite imagery and the few photos that are available give some indications of the internal arrangement.
The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced in a statement:
“The missile was tested to a predetermined range and impacted the target area in the Bay of Bengal with very high accuracy. All operational and technological parameters of the weapon system have been validated”.
The Indian MoD added that the successful user training launch of the SLBM by INS Arihant is significant to prove crew competency and validate the SSBN program, a key element of India’s nuclear deterrence capability. A robust, survivable and assured retaliatory capability is in keeping with India’s policy to have ‘Credible Minimum Deterrence‘ that underpins its ‘No First Use’ commitment.
The exact type of SLBM used in the test was not disclosed. These could be K-15 ‘Sagarika’ or K-4 missiles. K-15 can deliver a 1,000 kg warhead about 400 nautical miles. Twelve of them can be deployed by Arihant . However this missile is seen as an interim solution. The newer K-4 is a full-size SLBM (Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile). This is expected to have a range of around 1,900 nautical miles, almost 4 times that of the K-15.
But based on the large area covered by the NOTAM, the missile tested today was likely the K-15:
Few submarines are less photographed than India’s two Arihant-class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs). The lead boat, INS Arihant (S2), was commissioned in 2016 and a second boat, INS Arighat (S3) is expected to join her in service this year.
The Arihant is a unique design which can be characterized as a ‘pocket boomer’. It is much smaller than other ballistic missile submarines (North Koreas’ conventionally powered boats excepted). Its hull is shorter and thinner than its contemporaries and it only carries four missile silos.
Indian SSBN INS Arihant Fires Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile - Naval News
L&T, Spain's Navantia to jointly bid for $5-bln India submarine tender
Navantia and L&T first signed a memorandum of understanding in April to bid for the Indian Navy's Project 75 (India) that requires domestic firms to tie up with foreign companies to produce six conventional submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP).
The companies said L&T would build the submarines, while Navantia would design them based on the Spanish state-owned shipbuilder's S80 class of submarines and provide the air-independent propulsion system that lets submarines remain underwater longer.
L&T has so far built more than 65 defence vessels- both in partnership and on its own- including a handful for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, according to its website.
Exclusive look: India’s first C295 aircraft in Spain, to be delivered to IAF in September
Exclusive look: India’s first C295 aircraft in Spain, to be delivered to IAF...
India’s first C295 transport aircraft will be delivered to IAF in September. ThePrint’s Deputy Editor Snehesh Alex Philip travelled to Seville in Spain where 16 C295 are in production for the IAF.