INS Sindhuvijay (S62)
Class overview
NameSindhughosh class
Operators
Preceded byVela class
Succeeded byKalvari class
In commission1986–
Planned10
Completed10
Active7
Retired3
General characteristics
TypeAttack Submarine
Displacement
  • 2,325 t (2,288 long tons) surfaced
  • 3,076 t (3,027 long tons) submerged
Length72.6 m (238 ft 2 in)
Beam9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Draught6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × diesel-electric motors, 3,650 hp (2,722 kW) each
  • 1 × motor, 5,900 hp (4,400 kW)
  • 2 × auxiliary motors, 204 hp (152 kW)
  • 1 × economic speed motor, 130 hp (97 kW)
Speed
  • 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced[1]
  • 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) submerged[2]
Range
  • 6,000 mi (9,700 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) snorkeling
  • 400 mi (640 km) at 3 kn (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth300 m (980 ft)
Complement53 (13 Officers)
Armament
  • Club-S missile
  • Type 53-65 torpedo
  • TEST 71/76 anti-submarine, active-passive homing torpedo
  • 24 × DM-1 mines in lieu of torpedoes

Sindhughosh-class submarines are Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy. Their names are in Sanskrit, but in their Roman-alphabet forms sometimes a final short -a is dropped.

The Sindhughosh submarines, designated 877EKM, were designed as part of Project 877, and built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Ministry of Defence (India).

The submarines have a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, top speed of 18 knots, and are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of 53. The final unit was the first to be equipped with the 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27) antiship cruise missiles with a range of 220 km.

Life extension and refit

INS Sindhuvijay has been upgraded with the hydro acoustical USHUS complex and the CCS-MK radio communications system.[3] On 29 August 2014 DAC cleared the long-awaited mid-life upgrade of the four Kilo-class submarines, which would be carried out in Indian shipyards and is likely to cost Rs. 4,800 crore (4,800 million).[4] On 5 November 2014 official sources at HSL said more than 90% of the work has been completed on the seventh submarine of the Sindhughosh class INS Sindhukirti.[5] Scheduled to re-join the fleet on 31 March 2015, she re-entered service on 23 May.[6][7]

The Indian Navy signed a contract with the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to refit and upgrade the existing submarines and to extend their operational life by 35 years. The first submarine, INS Sindhukesari, will be sent for refit starting June 2016. The extensive refit, the value for which is pegged at Rs 5,000 crore for a total of four submarines, will not only extend the life of the boats but will also upgrade their combat potential and fitted with Klub land attack cruise missile.[8][9]

In 2015, the naval exercise Malabar, between the navies of India and the United States, involved Sindhudhvaj and USS City of Corpus Christi hunting each other. India Today reported that Sindhudhvaj managed to track Corpus Christi and score a simulated kill without being detected.[10]

In December 2015, L&T was chosen by the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to be its Indian partner in the refit project. While the first of the four Kilo class subs will go to the Russian Zvezdochka shipyard for inspection and refit, the remaining three are likely to be modernized at the Kattupalli shipyard. The first of the submarines to be modernized at private yard, a first for India, will go in by 2017, An order for 2-3 more submarines could also be commissioned, depending on ongoing acquisition plans of the Indian Navy.[11][12][13]

Incidents

Ships of the class

Name Pennant Builder Homeport Commission date Decommission date Status
Sindhughosh S55 Sevmash,
Severodvinsk 		Mumbai 30 April 1986 Refitted to project 08773 2002-2005 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhudhvaj S56 12 June 1987 16 July 2022 Decommissioned
Sindhuraj S57 20 October 1987 Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard.[19]
Sindhuvir S58 26 August 1988 March 2020[19] Refit at Hindustan Shipyard completed.
Transferred to Myanmar Navy in March 2020.[19]
Sindhuratna S59 22 December 1988 Refitted to project 08773 2001-2003 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhukesari S60 Vishakhapatnam 16 February 1989 Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard.[19]
Sindhukirti S61 4 January 1990 Refitted to project 08773 from 2007-2015 in her home base Vishakhapatnam
Sindhuvijay S62 18 March 1991 Refitted to project 08773 2005-2007 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhurakshak S63 Mumbai 24 December 1997 5 September 2017 Refitted to project 08773 09.08.2010-2012 at Zvezdochka shipyard.
Exploded and sank in Mumbai 14 August 2013
Sindhurashtra S65 Vishakhapatnam 19 July 2000 To be Refitted to project 08773

Gallery

See also

References

  1. ^ "Rosoboron exports - Project 636".
  2. ^ "Rosoboron exports - Project 636".
  3. ^ Russian shipyard to float upgraded Indian Navy Kilo class submarine
  4. ^ Sen, Sudhi Ranjan (29 August 2014). "Modi Government Drops Rs 6000-Crore Foreign Chopper Plan, Wants 'Made in India'". NDTV.
  5. ^ "Even Hudhud could not stop INS Sindhukirti refit at HSL". 5 November 2014. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Russia delayed sub refit to weaken shipyard?". Business Standard. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ^ "Navy gets INS Sindhukirti back". Business Standard. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Navy signs Rs 5,000 crore pact with Russian shipbuilder Sevmash for Kilo class submarine refit - The Economic Times". The Economic Times. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  9. ^ "Russia to modernize Sindhukesari submarine for the Indian Navy". in.rbth.com. Retrieved 11 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "In underwater battle, India 'annihilates' American n-submarine". India Today. 28 November 2015.
  11. ^ Pubby, Manu (14 July 2018). "Upgrading Kilo class submarines: L&T set to partner Russia for Rs 5,000-crore defence deal". The Economic Times. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  12. ^ "L&T partners with Russia for upgrading Kilo class submarines". Business Insider. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  13. ^ "L&T shortlisted for 'Kilo' upgrade work". www.janes.com. Archived from the original on 15 January 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  14. ^ "News report on Submarine collision". Archived from the original on 28 July 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  15. ^ Fire Mishap on INS Sindhurakshak Archived 2010-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "Indian submarine hit by explosion at Mumbai port". BBC News. 14 August 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  17. ^ "Submarine hits ground due to low tide, no casualty". 19 January 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  18. ^ "Two officers died in fire on board submarine INS Sindhuratna, confirms navy". NDTV News. 27 February 2014. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  19. ^ a b c d Shiv Aroor. "Indian Navy's Sindhuvir Submarine Refit Complete, Handover To Myanmar Next Month". LiveFist. Retrieved 23 February 2020.

External links

Kilo-class submarines
Ship classes of the Indian Navy
Submarines of the Indian Navy
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