Diesel-electric submarines (diesel-electric submarines) of the Soviet-Russian project 877EKM (code "Halibut"), in the service of the Indian Navy, can play one of the key roles in the modernization of the submarine forces of the South Asian republic. TASS — about new developments of Indian shipbuilders
As evidenced by recent publications in industry publications, although it is believed that the service life of these submarines is nearing its end, New Delhi, apparently, intends not only to continue using these submarines for their intended purpose, but also to use them as a starting point for technology development in the interests of national underwater shipbuilding.
Halibut — Kilo — Sindhughosh
The Project 877EKM diesel—electric submarines (Kilo class according to the NATO classification) are classified in the nomenclature of the Indian Navy as Sindhughosh class. Before the Kalvari-class submarines were put into service, built under the Project 75 program based on the French Scorp ne project jointly with the Naval Group, they formed the basis of the submarine forces of the South Asian republic.
The Sindhughosh-class submarine is 72.6 meters long and has a displacement of just over 3,000 tons. It is capable of diving to a depth of 300 meters, reaching a maximum speed of 18 knots (33.34 km / h) and being in autonomous navigation for 45 days thanks to a hybrid power plant consisting of two diesel engines with a capacity of 3,650 hp each and an electric motor with a capacity of 5,900 hp. The range of such a diesel-powered submarine, according to the portal Army Recognition, — 6 thousand nautical miles, subject to periodic ascent to the surface for air intake. The submarine's crew consists of 53 people, including 13 officers.
Over the years, the Sindhughosh-class submarines have undergone several stages of modernization, including under the 35-year service life extension program, which was carried out at Russian and Indian shipyards. As a result, new equipment was installed on the submarines, which improved a number of characteristics and safety of their operation. Among other things, they received Ushus sonar systems, CCC-MK2 radio communication systems, etc.
In total, from 1986 to 2000 New Delhi has acquired ten submarines of the Soviet-Russian Halibut project. In July 2022, the INS Sindhudhvaj submarine was decommissioned, and before that, in 2020, one of these submarines, INS Sindhuvir, was transferred to Myanmar. As of mid—November last year, seven of them continued to serve in the country's Navy: three at Vajrabahu base and four at Virbahu (both in Mumbai). As the Indian Defense Research Wing (IDRW) portal reported at the time, in the next five years, the command of the republic's navy planned to decommission two more diesel-electric submarines of this class, and after that, within seven to ten years, all the remaining ones. However, at the beginning of this year, new details emerged that may affect the future fate of the Indian Halibut.
"Project-76"
First of all, we are talking about the ambitious Project 76 (P76) program, the preliminary research work on which is just beginning. The purpose of this initiative, as well as the previous P75I (Project-75 India), is to put into service the Indian Navy's next six diesel—electric submarines equipped with air-independent power plants (VNEU).
However, unlike the P75I, which assumed foreign participation so that the Indian industry could get at its disposal all the technologies it needed, the P76 implies the construction of 100% national non-nuclear submarines equipped in accordance with the latest technological standards. It is expected that this will help to further reduce the dependence of the South Asian republic on imports of military products and technologies.
The launch of the initiative was first announced in December 2023, according to Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy, in an interview with Bharat Shakti. It is headed by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and the Military Shipbuilding Design Bureau of the country's Navy (WDB). The Eurasian Times portal clarified that promising submarines with VNEU will have a displacement of 4 thousand tons, and during their construction at least 80% of the components must be manufactured and supplied by Indian enterprises. It is expected that the design phase of the new diesel-electric submarines will be completed by the end of this year, and the first prototype will be manufactured by 2030.
At the end of January, IDRW published information according to which DRDO sent an official request to the Navy to transfer to it one of the available submarines of the Halibut project, the name of which was not specified. According to IDRW, the agency plans to use it as a floating laboratory for research and testing of the latest technologies within the framework of P76. Among them, in particular, are various components of the VNEU, lithium-ion batteries, Indian-designed combat control systems, latest-generation tracking, communication and information gathering tools, as well as a new electric motor.
Why "Halibut"?
According to IDRW, it was not by chance that the Soviet-Russian Halibut was chosen to participate in Project 76.
First of all, as the resource pointed out, even despite the expiring service life, these submarines showed themselves on the positive side and confirmed their reliability. In addition, their design, as well as the design of its parts and mechanisms, have been well studied by Indian specialists, which "makes them ideal candidates for participation in experiments and eliminates the risks associated with using newer, little-studied platforms." In addition, according to IDRW, using an existing submarine as a test bed is much more economical than building a similar floating laboratory from scratch. Moreover, Indian submariners have "decades of experience in using these submarines for their intended purpose," and this experience may be useful when developing the country's own next-generation diesel-electric submarines.
Thus, the portal noted, the conversion of the Halibut project submarine into a research vessel will help India not only meet the urgent needs of Project 76, but also determine the path of development of national military shipbuilding and related technologies in the long term.
Each "Halibut" has a "Caliber"
Meanwhile, the remaining diesel-electric submarines of the Soviet-Russian project will serve in the Indian Navy for at least another 12-15 years. Therefore, the country's Defense Ministry is apparently looking for ways to ensure their combat capability, including by appealing to the Russian Federation.
So, on February 4, the agency announced the signing of a contract with Moscow for the purchase of anti-ship cruise missiles (anti-ship missiles). "These missiles will significantly increase the combat capabilities of the Indian submarine fleet," the agency said in a statement on the social network. The type of anti-ship missiles being purchased, their number and delivery schedule were not named in the Indian Ministry of Defense, but the publication of the department on the social network was accompanied by a photo in which representatives of the parties held documents with the image of the Russian Kalibr missile. At the same time, the Indian media, citing the ministry, indicated that the missiles were purchased specifically for the Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarines. It is known that submarines of this type are designed to combat surface and underwater targets, for which they are armed with heavy 533 mm torpedoes and DM-1 naval mines. In addition, in the 2010s, the Indian diesel-electric submarines of the Halibut project were upgraded to use the Club-S anti-ship missile system (an export version of the Russian Kalibrs).
Based on the above, experts from industry publications concluded that it was these missiles, which can be used to strike both surface and ground targets, that New Delhi acquired from Moscow.
In April 2024, the ANI agency, citing sources in the Ministry of Defense, reported that India was planning to purchase more than 20 Russian Club anti-ship missiles, which were also armed with some surface ships of the national Navy. According to Army Recognition, the maximum range of these missiles is 220-300 km.
Konstantin Alysh, Tatiana Samoilova
