Russia has handed over the much-awaited nuclear-powered attack submarine Nerpa to India on a 10-year lease, boosting the Indian Navy's fire-power. The Akula-II class Nerpa nuclear submarine had recently finished sea trials.
Kalvari is expected to enter service by September end.
Expressing grave concern over a US nuclear-powered submarine sustaining damage in the disputed South China Sea, China on Friday demanded Washington to reveal the details and the location of the accident and blamed America's frequent air and naval sorties in the Indo-Pacific to assert the "freedom of navigation" as the "root cause" of the incident.
After a series of setbacks in recent years, Russia on Thursday successfully tested its next-generation submarine launched intercontinental ballistic missile with multiple nuclear warheads.
China for the first time has divulged the deployment of a nuclear submarine for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, a move defence experts say could cause unease among neighbours, including India.
In a first-ever such accident, a British and a French nuclear submarine, both carrying nuke warheads, collided in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this month, but there was no loss of life.
The reported test came amid escalating cross-border tensions, with the North threatening retaliation over the start of South Korea-US military exercises condemned by Pyongyang.
The government has cleared the indigenous construction of seven stealth frigates and six nuclear-powered submarines to bolster naval power.
This is the first time in decades that China has made its flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile public in an apparent show of strategic deterrence, State-run China Daily reported.
The image showed that the footage was made at 2035 hours on March 4.
India would receive its first new generation Nerpa Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine, which is undergoing sea trials in Russia, by the end of this year, a top Russian official has said.
Under the contract, Zvyozdochka shipyard will service 4 Indian submarines till 2009.
Pakistan will acquire at least eight modified diesel-electric attack submarines from China by 2028 in a nearly $5 billion (Rs 33,479 crore) agreement, said to be the biggest arms export deal for the Communist giant.
The Indian Navy said it was in a high state of readiness to "deter, prevent and defeat" any "misadventure" by Pakistan in the maritime domain.
Putin is keen on establishing a good personal rapport with Trump and anchor a meaningful US-Russia partnership, realistic enough to accept that Trump is as good an American president as Russia would ever get, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
The INS Chakra III will be ideal for 'sea denial' missions, in which the submarine denies the enemy the use of the sea.
'When human beings develop these dangerous toys and leave their control in the hands of aggressive megalomaniac politicians, the threat of a nuclear holocaust is always lurking on the horizon.'
Launch of the indigenously built nuclear-powered submarine has been planned for July 26 to coincide with Vijay Diwas. A host of Navy and defence officials are expected to grace the occasion.
An Indian Navy delegation travelled to Moscow on a fact-finding mission following an accident onboard a Russian nuclear submarine that was to be leased to it, even as shipbuilders blamed the inherent flaws of central control panel of the vessel for the mishap. They also said "serious work" was required to make its fire-extinguishing system "foolproof".
Leaders who built and manage these incredible global companies cannot be tyrants, slave-drivers, or idiots. Essentially what they are saying falls under the definition of rallying the troops, inspirational talk, like the usual coach-speak with the team before a match, asserts Shekhar Gupta.
The Arctic may be ice-free during summer within the next 20 years, claims a new research.Now, ships will be able to sail through the ice-free Arctic in the summers. Ships traveling to Europe from the East would be able to save on journeying over 3000 miles to avoid the icy Arctic. The Arctic Ocean will warm rapidly due to the lack of ice to reflect sunlight, and the warm Arctic water will accelerate the melting of the Greenland ice, which will help the rising sea levels.
Notwithstanding the financial constraints, the defence ministry has been on a drive to procure and upgrade military assets over the last five years for which it spent a whopping amount of Rs 3.25 lakh crore.
Vice admiral Srikant was due to retire on December 31.
During an interaction at a conclave in New Delhi, he also said that the Indian Navy is seized of the docking of various PLA Navy ships at ports in Pakistan, and it is 'keeping a watch on it'.
The Borisoglebsk also launched a successful ballistic missile test on Saturday, hitting a target on Kamchatka, the Defence Ministry said.
Prime Minister Modi needs to call Biden next month and clearly say: 'Mr President, the threat from China is clear and present. We, in New Delhi, have determined it to be an urgent national priority to outfit our submarines and aircraft carriers with nuclear propulsion and we want to cooperate with America on this programme",' advises Ajai Shukla.
US-India defence cooperation must not adversely affect the India-Russia interface, which has its own strategic meaning and content, asserts Vice Admiral Premvir Das (retd).
India will receive its first new generation Nerpa Akula-II class nuclear attack submarine by March next year on a ten-year lease with the vessel being inducted into the Russian navy prior to its transfer.The submarine will be subsequently leased to the Indian Navy under the name INS Chakra in March for $650 million for a 10-year lease.The 12,000-ton K-152 Nerpa, an Akula II class nuclear-powered attack submarine, belongs to the class of the quietest and deadliest submarines.
The Indian Navy is all set to join the global elite club on Sunday when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh formally launches the indigenously-built nuclear-powered submarine INS Arihant at the naval dockyard of the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam.Prime Minister will arrive at the ENC's airbase INS Dega in Visakhapatnam by a special Indian Air Force plane along with his wife at 11 am and drive straight to the naval dockyard to commission INS Arihant into the sea.
For the first time, the US Navy will include long-range maritime and submarine hunter aircraft P3C Orions in the exercises.
We have only thought of acquiring a nuclear deterrence capability, but we have deluded ourselves into believing that we have already accomplished it.
This is the first time that the Indian Navy is conducting a major joint exercise with foreign navies along the country's eastern coast.
The US dismissed a report suggesting that India is covertly enriching its nuclear weapons capabilities, describing it as "speculative".
Sri Lanka's Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera on Monday allayed India's fears on increasing Chinese military presence in the island nation, as he categorically stated that his nation will never compromise on India's national security or for that matter of any other country.
'With Pakistan's 'first use doctrine' threatening the use of nuclear weapons early in a war with India, the S-400 will shield vulnerable targets like Delhi and Mumbai, complicating Pakistan's targeting calculations.'
Defence Minister A K Antony and his Russian counterpart Anatoly Serdyukov, who met in New Delhi over the last two days, also decided to take forward the joint fifth generation combat jets and mutirole transport aircraft projects over the next 10 years, under which India would get about 250-300 FGFAs and 45 MTAs
The Pakistan Navy claimed in Islamabad that it used specialised skills to ward off the Indian submarine from entering Pakistani waters.
The US dismissed a report suggesting that India is covertly enriching its nuclear weapons capabilities, describing it as "speculative".
