Here is an
excellent article from India’s Defence Aviation Post written
22 hours ago at https://www.defenceaviationpost.com/2020/07/the-untold-story-of-the-development-of-indian-submarine-force/
Re paragraph 1: As well as the UK not willing to extend soft loans for such expensive items as submarines, I assume the UK overall distrusted India's Non-aligned foreign/defence policy status. The West often classed Non-aligned as pro-Soviet.
“The Untold Story of the Development of Indian Submarine
Force”
“In 1957,
the government of India requested Lord Mountbatten, then the First Sea Lord, to
provide India a target submarine which could be the oldest and cheapest
available to serve as a foundation to build a submarine force for the Indian
Navy (IN), a request he flatly refused to consider. In 1959 the Indian Navy
asked the UK for three operational submarines, this never happened as the UK
refused the soft credit terms sought by India. The Indian Navy finally got a
Break when the Soviet Union came to India’s rescue and provided the Indian Navy
with eight Foxtrot class submarines between 1967 & 1974. [Pete comment - India's Foxtrots were 4 x the first Kalvari-class and 4 x Vela-class].
Submarine acquisition in India was hit by a double whammy in the 1980s with the German HDW Submarine scam in 1987 which saw the much required class of six HDW type 209 submarines being acquired being reduced to four boats. [Pete comment - India's 4 x Type 209s are known as the Shishumar-class]. To make matters worse, India also had to prematurely return the Charlie-class SSGN it had leased from the USSR for 10 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it had only served the IN for a bare three years. The Russians came to the rescue once again and the fleet was bolstered by 10 877EKM (KILO) class boats which were inducted between 1986 & 2000. [Pete comment - India's 10 x Kilos are known as the Sindhughosh-class].
Submarine acquisition in India was hit by a double whammy in the 1980s with the German HDW Submarine scam in 1987 which saw the much required class of six HDW type 209 submarines being acquired being reduced to four boats. [Pete comment - India's 4 x Type 209s are known as the Shishumar-class]. To make matters worse, India also had to prematurely return the Charlie-class SSGN it had leased from the USSR for 10 years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it had only served the IN for a bare three years. The Russians came to the rescue once again and the fleet was bolstered by 10 877EKM (KILO) class boats which were inducted between 1986 & 2000. [Pete comment - India's 10 x Kilos are known as the Sindhughosh-class].
In the year
2000 the Indian Navy adopted a 30 year submarine building plan which would see
the induction of 24 new submarines by 2030 with 18 SSKs (Submersible ship
killer) & 6 SSNs (Submersible ship nuclear) joining the fleet by 2030. This
was later tweaked to 24 SSKs with all 6 SSNs getting their own separate
category & $14Bn approval under the strategic nuclear submarine program in
February 2015. The plan called for half the Slated strength of 24 SSKs or 12
boats to be built on two simultaneous lines with foreign collaboration by 2012 with another 12 to be built completely of an indigenous design between 2012-30, needless to say that plan lies in tatters.”
PETE COMMENTRe paragraph 1: As well as the UK not willing to extend soft loans for such expensive items as submarines, I assume the UK overall distrusted India's Non-aligned foreign/defence policy status. The West often classed Non-aligned as pro-Soviet.
Re para 2: I always wondered why India's lease of the Soviet Charlie-class SSGN (K-43 as Chakra I, leased 1988-1992) was so short ie. less than the agreed 10 years. Now this article answers it. The end of the USSR by 1992 effectively overrode the lease agreement with India. I assume financially strapped (new) Russia did not have the naval funds to maintain Chakra I (ex K-43). Russia's lack of money would explain why K-43 was scrapped in 1992.
Re para 3: Of the new SSKs India has completed 2 Scorpenes, known as the second Kalvari-class, with 4 to go.
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