The Indian government has approved the construction of two new nuclear-powered attack submarines and the purchase of American-made unmanned aerial vehicles, according to sources. This move is widely seen as targeting the Chinese Communist Party.
Two Indian defense officials told Reuters that India plans to build a total of six new submarines, with the approval for the construction of the first two. The estimated cost for building these two nuclear-powered submarines is around $5.4 billion.
It was revealed that these two nuclear-powered submarines will be constructed at the government shipyard in Visakhapatnam, a port city in southern India. This will be the first time such submarines are built in a local Indian shipyard.
Nuclear-powered attack submarines are faster, quieter, able to stay submerged for longer periods, and harder to detect compared to conventional diesel-powered submarines, making them one of the most powerful naval weapons in the world. Currently, only a few countries have the capability to manufacture nuclear-powered submarines, such as the United States, France, Russia, and China.
India had previously leased two nuclear-powered attack submarines from Russia but has since returned them. They are currently in talks with Russia to lease another submarine.
Possessing these advanced submarines will enhance India’s surveillance and management capabilities in the vast waters of the Indian Ocean. As a member of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad), India, along with the United States, Australia, and Japan, is committed to countering Chinese influence in the region.
The planned nuclear-powered submarines will carry only conventional weapons, unlike the Arihant-class nuclear-powered submarines that India is currently building. The latter has the capability to launch nuclear weapons, with the second submarine officially commissioned in August this year.
Since the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a clash with Chinese soldiers along the Himalayan border in 2020, relations between India and China have been frosty.
In the face of China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean region, India is keen on modernizing its military, focusing on enhancing its naval capabilities and improving domestic weapons manufacturing capabilities.
In addition, Bloomberg cited reports from local Indian media that India has also approved the purchase of 31 long-range unmanned drones manufactured by the American defense giant General Atomics.
The MQ-9B drones have a flight time of approximately 48 hours and a payload of around 1,700 kilograms (3,700 pounds). This will enhance India’s ability to monitor Chinese military vessels in the South Indian Ocean and allow the military to target objects along the disputed India-Pakistan border in the Himalayas.