INDIAN NAVY SCOPES OUT FREEDOM CLASS LITTORAL SHIP AT MALABAR 2015
With Exercise Malabar 2015 under way in the bay of bengal, the indian navy personnel have gotten a comprehensive first operational look at littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Fort Worth, the most recent of the Freedom class vessels built by lockheed Martin for the us navy and one of the sales opportunities the Pentagon has been looking to push in india. Currently on a 16-month rotational deployment in support of the Indo-Asia-Pacific Rebalance, USS Fort Worth is tailor-made to patrol the region's littorals and work hull-to-hull with other navies, as it is now with indian frigates and destroyers as part of the sea phase of Malabar 2015.
the Freedom class ships have been likened to corvettes in terms of size, but are known to bring to the table a host of capabilities the indian navy has been interested in. the navy in recent years has laid stress on inducting more offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) for rapid deployment to threat sites near shore with adequate firepower and agility to deter asymmetric threats. The decision to field USS Forth Worth as part of the current exercise may be seen in the light of ongoing evaluation of that opportunity. the indian navy personnel onboard USS Fort Worth also got a chance to witness MQ-8b Fire scout unmanned helicopter operations, though this was not the first time they saw this.
LIFE EXTENSION FOR FOUR KILO CLASS SUBS
after nearly two years in discussions, the Indian Government has finally agreed to push through a long-standing indian navy demand for a life extension of at least four of its eight effectively remaining Kilo class submarines. a deal is to be signed shortly with the Rosoboronexport that involves the upgradation/life extension of the ins Sindhukesari at Zvevdochka shipyard in severodvinsk, Russia, with the other three boats to be refitted and updated with new weaponry and combat systems at a shipyard in india. a separate contract will be signed at a later stage for the additional three submarines, once a shipyard has been identified. The refit/upgrade move will be the second major programme on the Kilos contracted by the indian navy in the 1980s. While the submarines remain formidable platforms (Kilos are among the quietest conventional submarines in the world at slow speeds), depletion in strength has severely affected the indian navy's submarine arm, given its overdependence on a diminishing fleet of old generation boats. Following the tragic accident onboard the ins sindhurakshak in 2013, it became obvious to the Navy that it needs to fire on all cylinders to rescue the submarine force. the Kilo upgrade, coupled with a speeded up Kalvari class (DCNS scorpene licence-build at MDL), delivery schedule should go some way in shoring up strength figures ahead of a larger induction of force units.
MORE CAPABLE INDO-ISRAELI LR-SAM TO BE TESTED IN INDIA SOON
In one of the most anticipated and significant weapons tests, the india-israel LR-SAM, a joint development of the israel aerospace industries (iai) and india's DRDO, will be test-fired from the Indian Navy destroyer ins Kolkata before the end of this year. Preparatory tests are currently on the platform, with a test likely before Christmas. in May this year, the israeli navy began hot trials of the weapon system that saw its first developmental test launch a year ago in israel. it has also reliably been learnt that the range of the final weapon will be significantly greater than initially agreed upon by the two developmental teams—where India develops and produces the missile's smokeless pulsed rocket motor and israel the seeker and onboard avionics—sending the weapon’s range to above 100 km. the LR-SAM system has been a long-standing requirement for the indian navy, but will almost certainly be developed for the indian army and indian air Force for its long-range air defence requirements, both of which currently exist. the LR-SAM, which was birthed from an original requirement to give the indian navy a point defence weapon, has blossomed into a hopefully more capable weapon built for aerial threats across the spectrum.