Indian Navy to Receive Nuclear Submarine in Spring 2010
The nuclear attack submarine Nerpa has been formally inducted in the Russian Navy for subsequent leasing to the Indian Navy next spring.
The submarine was commissioned on Monday after the successful completion of final sea trials. The ceremony was held at the Amur shipyard in Bolshoi Kamen (Big Rock) on the Pacific coast. The commissioning of the submarine coincided with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s visit to the region, but it was not clear whether he was present at the ceremony.
The Nerpa was to be initially leased to the Indian Navy in mid-2009, but its delivery was delayed due to a fatal accident killing 20 crewmen and technical staff following the release of lethal Freon gas in the sleeping quarters, while on trial sailing in the Sea of Japan.
Before the submarine is commissioned as INS Chakra in March, the Indian crew would undergo training and sailing together with Russian specialists and servicemen.
The submarine is being leased to the Indian Navy for 10 years under a $ 650 million deal.
The 12,770-ton Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear powered attack submarine, is rated one of the world’s deadliest and quietest warships.
According to the former Russian envoy to India, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, India’s indigenous nuclear submarine, INS Arihant, launched in July, has been designed after Russia’s Akula II submarines.
Nerpa is the second Russian submarine India has leased in the past 20 years.
According to earlier media reports, an Indian crew is expected to arrive in January for joint pre-delivery sailing with the Russian naval crew to be followed by independent sailing under the supervision of Russian instructors.
Comments
Leave a Reply
