Iran Military Forum

This thread is based on some discussions which I have had on Indian and other forums. I'll post some of the information here. I'll begin with some basic introductions into nuclear-powered submarines.
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So what is so special about this submarine?

The Indian Navy leased a Project 670A Skat (Charlie I Class) nuclear-powered submarine (INS Chakra in Indian Naval service) for three years - from 04 January 1988 to January 1991. The boat was was manned by a Russian crew who also had the task of training Indian submariners on how to operate the nuclear-powered vessel.

In addition to becoming a training ground, INS Chakra also acted as a design laboratory for developing and testing indigenous nuclear submarine technologies. The lease was not extended after January 1991 and the submarine was returned back to Vladivostock, Russia where it was decommissioned from Russian naval service.

The Russian crew that trained the Indian submariners have reportedly taken key posts, probably in the Indian Naval Design Organisation, to design India's first nuclear-powered submarine codenamed the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV).

This top secret project has facilities in New Delhi, at Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The plan is for a class of five submarines fitted with long-range, nuclear-tipped missiles. A nuclear-capable missile (Sagarika) is reportedly under development at the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) at Bangalore, Karnataka.

The naval wing of DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation) manages the organization and since 1985 has always had a retired Vice Admiral in charge. Vice Admiral Bharat Bhushan is the first known Director General of the program. In late 2000, the project was given a new lease of life with the appointment of Vice Admiral R.N. Ganesh (Retd) to take charge. An experienced submariner, he was the first commander of INS Chakra. In early 2004, Vice Admiral P.C. Bhasin (Retd) was appointed as the head of the ATV program, as he was the former Chief of Material. As per a news article in domain-B, dated 19 May 2007, Vice Admiral Arun Kumar Singh (Retd) is to be appointed as the new Director General (DG) of the highly-classified ATV program.

He too had commanded INS Chakra during her service with the Indian Navy. He also commanded submarine shore establishments, INS Virbahu and INS Satvahana and served as the Director of Submarine Operations. As the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Submarines), he authored the Indian Navy's 30 year submarine construction program and was also responsible for the modernisation of the submarine force, primarily the Sindhugosh Class boats.

Rahul Bedi in a news article in IndiaPRWire, dated 17 May 2007, stated the following;

• The vessel will be based on the Charlie I Class boat and will be 124 meters long, have a displacement of 4000 tons and be fitted with a 100 MW nuclear reactor, developed jointly by DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) and DRDO (Defence Research & Development Organisation). Bharat Rakshak Note: Earlier reports indicated that the boat could likely resemble the Russian Navy's new Severodvinsk Class attack submarine and/or the Akula Class attack submarine, of which the Indian Navy reportedly plans to lease a pair.

• The 100 MW nuclear reactor went critical in October 2004 at Kalpakkam and is now fully operational. A miniaturised version of the reactor is under construction for integration into the ATV at Visakhapatnam.

In July 2006, then-incumbent Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee inspected the ATV's reactor project while participating in the 20th anniversary celebrations of the commissioning of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam. Earlier, in October 2004, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the ATV facility when he launched the construction of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor. The Prototype Testing Centre at Kalpakkam will be used to test the boat's turbines & propellers while a similar facility at Visakhapatnam will run trials on the vessel's main turbines & gearbox.

• Officials familiar with the ATV project stated that the highly enriched uranium fuel for the reactor was supplied by the Rare Materials Project (RMP) in Ratnahalli near Mysore, Karnataka. The four to five years delay in the reactor reaching criticality, was due to the extended time taken by RMP to produce an adequate quantity of uranium, the officials added. While many components of the reactor like the steam-generator and the control rod mechanism have been indigenously developed within India itself, senior naval officers stated that Russia had helped Indian scientists overcome certain technical hurdles. This included assistance not only in designing the vessel's reactor, but also guidelines in eventually mating it with the boat's hull. The involvement of Larsen & Toubro, that began in 2001, helped kick-start the stalled ATV project. L&T was awarded the contract to build the hull (code named P 4102) at its Hazira dockyard facility in Gujarat and has already floated sections of it on a barge to Visakhapatnam.

Note : The Actual Sub Seems to be Based on Akula I design with 80 MW Reactor.

So it is a leap for Indian reactor technology as well as ship building, design and development. Moreover, this would be the only deployed nuclear-powered submarine in the region by a local power.

How Does This Submarine Work and How its Different from a Conventional Submarine?



(US Nucelar-powered Los Angeles Class)


(UK Nuclear-powered Astute Class)

A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor.

The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for conventional submarines; the large amount of power generated by a nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long durations; and the long interval between refuellings grants a range limited only by consumables such as food.

Current generations of nuclear submarines never need to be refueled throughout their 25-year lifespans.

Conversely, the limited power stored in electric batteries means that even the most advanced conventional submarine can only remain submerged for a few days at slow speed, and only a few hours at top speed; recent advances in air-independent propulsion have eroded this disadvantage somewhat.

The high cost of nuclear technology means that relatively few states have fielded nuclear submarines.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of a Nuclear Submarine

The nuclear plant is smaller and lighter than an equivalent-sized diesel. They don't have to figure out where to put the diesel tank. The boat doesn't have to come to snorkel depth every so often to recharge its batteries--whether the boat is a diesel or a nuc, every modern sub turns its propeller with an electric motor.

And with nuclear propulsion, where the refueling interval is measured in years, the only thing that limits the length of a mission is the amount of food the boat is able to carry. If they can find somewhere to store a year's worth of food, they can stay out that long.

The Arihant with an endurance of over 3 Months is Best suited for Nuclear Second Strike as its Hard to detect This Sub.

There are three disadvantages to nuclear propulsion, and two are environmental. The first is the need to deal with the used fuel.

The other is, if the boat sinks from enemy action or mishap, radiation can possibly enter the atmosphere.

The third is tactical. Modern nuclear boats cool their reactors by convection--there are water inlets and outlets on the hull, and the movement of the boat causes water to flow through them. (This replaces a water pump, which is noisy.)

To get the convection system to work, the boat has to be in constant motion. A diesel boat, or a nuc boat with a coolant pump--some Soviet SSNs had them--can settle to the ocean floor under a shipping lane and shoot torpedoes at passing enemy ships; a nuc boat with convection cooling can't do that.

The Working Of a Nuclear Submarine

The main difference between conventional submarines and nuclear submarines is the power generation system. Nuclear submarines employ nuclear reactors for this task.

They either generate electricity that powers electric motors connected to the propeller shaft or rely on the reactor heat to produce steam that drives steam turbines (cf. nuclear marine propulsion). Reactors used in submarines typically use highly enriched fuel (often greater than 20%) to enable them to deliver a large amount of power from a smaller reactor.

The nuclear reactor also supplies power to the submarine's other subsystems, such as for maintenance of air quality, fresh water production by distilling salt water from the ocean, temperature regulation, etc. All naval nuclear reactors currently in use are operated with diesel generators as a backup power system.

These engines are able to provide emergency electrical power for reactor decay heat removal as well as enough electric power to supply an emergency propulsion mechanism. Submarines may carry nuclear fuel for up to 30 years of operation. The only resource that limits the time underwater is the food supply for the crew and maintenance of the vessel.

The Conventianl Submarine Has to Surface from Time to Time to Recharge its Batteries.

The New AIP ( Air Independent Propulsion Systems ) like those employed in the German conventional Type 214 enable the sub to remain under water for over long periods.

The German Type 212:



What are the Capabilities of This Submarine?

Class and type: Arihant-class submarine

Type: SSBN or SSGN

Length: 111 m (364 ft)

Beam: 15 m (49 ft)

Draft: 11 m (36 ft)

Propulsion: PWR using 40% enriched uranium fuel (80 MWe )[2]; one turbine (47,000 hp/70 MW); one shaft; one 7-bladed, high-skew propeller (estimated)

Range: unlimited except by food supplies

Test depth: 300 m (980 ft) (estimated)

Complement: 95–100 officers and men
Sensors and

processing systems: BEL USHUS

Armament:

6 x 533mm torpedoes
12 x K-15 Sagarika SLBM
Shaurya missile (expected)
Agni III SL

What is the Current Progress (June 2010)?

'Second indigenous nuke sub will be ready soon'

By Ritu Sharma, New Delhi, Aug 18 : India's second indigenous nuclear-powered submarine will be ready soon and will take less time from launch to induction than the first one, says a retired Indian Navy officer who was associated with the top secret project since its inception.

"The second one will be ready and will take lesser time," Vice Admiral (retd.) Mihir K. Roy told IANS in an exclusive interview.

Roy, who is now 84, was the first head of the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) that was launched in 1984 and guided it during its first four years. He has been involved in all the back room negotiations with the then Soviet Union, which assisted in the project. He is now director of think tank Society for Indian Ocean Studies.

Roy said the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991 delayed the ATV project, under which India aimed to initially design and construct three nuclear-powered combat submarines within the country.

The first vessel, INS Arihant, was launched into the waters July 26. When she is inducted into service after three-years of sea trials, India will became only the sixth country in the world after the US, Russia, Britain, France and China to be capable of designing and constructing nuclear-powered nuclear submarines.

"We were going fast (on the project). But there was a long delay. Then the USSR fell and there was tremendous social, political and technological changes in the country. All contracts (on the ATV project) were changed," Roy said.

"In 2004, Russia stabilised and we signed fresh contracts in dollars. Money was a problem for them because they (Russians) were short of dollars," he added.

The Soviet Union had in 1981 offered to help with the design and construction of a nuclear submarine. In 1988, it had also leased a nuclear submarine, INS Chakra, for five years to enable the Indian Navy, its first batch of officers and sailors, in operating such vessels.

The ATV project was made successful by the close partnership of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and other public and private sector undertakings.

The project was conceptualised around the same time as those to produce an indigenous light combat aircraft (LCA) and a main battle tank MBT). Both these projects have suffered heavy cost and time overruns, making the launch of INS Arihant a "historic milestone" for the Indian Navy.

"I said that I wanted to report directly to the defence minister, with no interference from secretaries and bureaucrats. It worked. Decisions were made across the table," said Roy, a submariner and former chief of the Eastern Naval Command.

He noted that extra security precautions had to be taken to maintain the secrecy of the project to prevent triggering an arms race on the subcontinent.

"We did not even have a name plate (outside the office). Nobody in my family, not even my wife, was aware what I was doing. On July 26 (when INS Arihatn was launched) my

grandchildren said: 'You never told us!' " Roy said.

"I got the dry docks (at the Visakhapatnam Ship Building Centre) covered; otherwise satellites would have spotted the vessel and taken pictures," Roy reminisced, adding: "I also got the dry docks lengthened."

Now how is this important and what relevance could it have for Iran?

The Indian ocean is very important body of water and has been historically a scene of great play during the period of European exploration of Colonialism. At present there is an intense power play at shores that are not so distant from Iran. Because of it's geographic location and the relations it has with it's neighbors, India is heavily dependent on it's sea lanes. Similarly, Chinese trade passes through the Indian Ocean when linking China with Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Other powers vying for control in this locality are the the US and UK (centered around Diego Garcia) as one coalition alongside France on a lesser level.

China's case recently has become more interesting given the much talked about "String of Pearls" or Chinese bases/ installations in the Indian Ocean. China is developing military bases and diplomatic ties from the Middle East to the South China Sea in order to protect its oil shipments and strategic interests, according even to Chinese internal reports. The "String of Pearls" strategy includes:

1) A new naval base under construction at the Pakistani port of Gwadar;
2) Naval bases in Myanmar;
3) A military agreement with Cambodia;
4) Strengthening ties with Bangladesh;
5) An ambitious plan under consideration to build a $20 billion canal in Thailand to bypass the Strait of Malacca.

String of Pearls: Sea lanes from Persian Gulf, through Indian Ocean, Straits of Malacca, and up the South China Sea



Makes good strategic sense as over 80 percent of China's energy supplies travel through the Malacca Strait. There is a lot of argument about their ability to project power over the Taiwan Strait. I don't think anyone would say that they can currently project enough sea power to protect their shipping lanes. There Much talk about an aircraft carrier but that will be years away from being operational but the underlying issue is that the strategy is in place.

In the Indian perspective, this is an attempt to encircle India.


China's String of Pearls: Ports/Navy Bases Under Construction

Given the conflicting stance of India and Pakistan, the situation becomes a bit more tricky for the US. India and the US have been developing closer ties with China seeing this as a US devised measure to use India as a counter-weight. Pakistan will find this very hard to swallow and, while the US needs India more over the medium term, it needs Pakistani cooperation at present to fight for the Taliban and to stabilize Afghanistan.

The Chinese are bound to see this as a step in an encriclement policy. That may be unavoidable, but let us face reality. India sees China surrounding her. China sees the US cobbling together a stealth NATO to surround her. For China’s part, see this description by one researcher at the Army War College:

The “String of Pearls” describes the manifestation of China’s rising geopolitical influence through efforts to increase access to ports and airfields, develop special diplomatic relationships, and modernize military forces that extend from the South China Sea through the Strait of Malacca, across the Indian Ocean, and on to the Arabian Gulf (Wrong term used, its called the Persian Gulf).

How does all of this power-play have a bearing on Iran? We will have to wait and see. Iran is beset by issues more closer to it's immediate vicinity and internal affairs but the Indian Ocean and it's politics have a bearing on Iran nonetheless. Where Iran finds itself will be more visible in the coming years in this regard.

   

Yes, Eagle2009, it is quiet an interesting development from India. As to the naming convention, this is an Indian one. I have been searching for American-commentary upon it but as yet there isn't much available. Anyhow, the whole issue gets more interesting when put with the backdrop of the power-games involved in the Indian Ocean as I have mentioned in my previous post over above. I found an interesting article concerning India's future take on nuclear-powered submarine development and acquisition.   

(The article uses Project S-2 to refer to the Arihant)

After Arihant; What?

The launch of the S-2 is, no doubt, a most significant and encouraging demonstration of India's technological skills and managerial expertise. But much more than that, this vessel will provide a trials platform which will enable us to learn from our own experience, what no one is going to teach us; the arcane disciplines of SSBN operations and maintenance. The main beneficiaries of this experience will be two submarines which follow S-2. The S-3 and S-4 are planned to be built on the same baseline design as S-2, in order to consolidate shipbuilding expertise and industrial capabilities. They will therefore incorporate only those capability enhancements which can be accommodated within the same hull-form and supported by the same nuclear power-plant. Therefore it is the fourth submarine in this series the S-5, still a few years ahead, which should be an object of sharp focus for not just the IN but even more so, the DAE and DRDO. In a 50-60 year perspective, India should be looking at a standing force of 4-6 SSBNs; accompanied, if possible by a smaller force of nuclear attack submarines or SSNs. While we are well on the way to achieving mastery over many of the technologies involved, there are three key areas which would need special focus: The acquisition of propellant technology for producing underwater launched ballistic missiles of inter-continental range. The length and diameter of the missile will decide the dimensions of the SSBN. These SLBM's should preferably be capable of carrying 4-6 multiple independently-targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV).

The indigenous design of a SSBN hull which will be able to accommodate a battery of 16-24 such SLBMs. The indigenous design of a nuclear propulsion plants of about 200 megawatt capacity, with a 6-8 years refueling cycle, to drive a SSBN of 10,000-12,000 tons at about 30 knots.

Having committed ourselves to fielding a credible deterrent in the form of a nuclear triad, we no longer have a choice but to go down this route at the earliest. This is one area where dependence on foreign sources, especially for hardware, must be minimised and autarchy aimed for. Once we acquire indigenous capability for design and production of naval reactors and LEU cores, as well as long range SLBMs, we would have achieved such autarchy.

Future Project Management

The PLA Navy sent its first (Han class) nuclear submarine to sea in 1974, and today the Chinese nuclear flotilla consists of 3-4 Xia and Jin class SSBNs as well as 5-6 Han and Shang class SSNs. Given that we are already 30 years behind China in this field, there is not a day to be lost in committing the necessary capital as well as human resources from the Navy, DAE and DRDO to commence design and development work.

This is going to be a complex, laborious and time consuming endeavour, and a period of even 10-15 years for attaining the capabilities listed above may be optimistic. So far, Russia has remained the main source of technology for us, but in the changing circumstances, we must not shy away from seeking advanced reactor technology from the US or France for our strategic programmes. There is no doubt that the DRDO-Navy synergy worked well during the developmental phase of the ATV. With the launch of S-2, this project now needs to transition rapidly and seamlessly from R&D mode to serial production mode. The time has therefore come to create a new management structure in which all the national capabilities created for the ATV (in the public as well as private sectors) can be brought under an umbrella corporation for serial production of nuclear submarines for the IN. Lifting the pall of secrecy will promote a better dialogue with operators and lead to design improvements.