China’s Increasing Sea Power Is the Target of India’s New Submarine Base.An important step in India’s attempts to strengthen maritime security and thwart China’s expanding influence in the Indian Ocean will be the opening of a state-of-the-art naval facility close to Rambilli village in Andhra Pradesh.
.This facility, which is a component of the massive Project Varsha, is intended to increase India’s strategic capabilities in the area by acting as a center for nuclear-powered warships and submarines. Submarines may enter the Bay of Bengal through underwater tunnels and pens at the Rambilli facility without being noticed by spy satellites, guaranteeing operational secrecy and facilitating deterrent patrols towards vital strategic locations like the Malacca Strait.
.The scheduled launch of India’s third nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, INS Aridhaman, would take place concurrently with the commissioning of this station. INS Arihant and INS Arighaat, the two ships that now make up the core of India’s sea-based nuclear deterrent, are smaller than this 7,000-ton vessel. These submarines are anticipated to get vital assistance from the Rambilli facility, strengthening their assured second-strike capacity, which is a pillar of India’s nuclear strategy.
India’s naval buildup coincides with growing rivalry between China and India for supremacy in the Indian Ocean and the larger Indo-Pacific area. With nearly 350 ships, the Chinese navy is currently the biggest in the world. By 2030, it is expected to have 76 submarines, including cutting-edge nuclear-powered models.
On the other hand, India now has 19 submarines in its fleet, comprising 17 diesel-electric submarines and two nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. Although just two nuclear-powered attack submarines have been authorized for building thus far, plans under Project 75 Alpha seek to increase India’s fleet to six.
.India’s current naval infrastructure, especially the Karwar facility on the west coast under Project Seabird, is enhanced by the Rambilli base. Rambilli is built for nuclear submarines, but Karwar is home to aircraft carriers and destroyers. Commodore Anil Jai Singh stressed that ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), which are crucial to ongoing sea-based deterrence, require such specialized equipment to ensure security and secrecy.
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Instead of focusing on numerical parity, India’s strategy for opposing China emphasizes strategic capabilities. Without trying to match China submarine for submarine, Commodore Singh emphasized that India’s naval doctrine guarantees a fighting edge inside its operating domain—the Indian Ocean. Instead, in order to successfully cover all bases, India strategically deploys platforms and assesses its operational principles. In order to project power over the Indian Ocean and escort SSBNs during patrols, Singh also emphasized the significance of developing domestic technology for nuclear-powered attack submarines.
Notwithstanding these developments, India’s nuclear submarine program still faces difficulties. Gaps were identified by Atul Kumar of the Observer Research Foundation, including the restricted testing of sea-launched ballistic missiles like the K-4 and the absence of nuclear-powered attack submarines to safeguard SSBNs during patrols. Rather than being tested from active submarines, these missiles have only been tested from submerged platforms.
China’s aspirations in the Indian Ocean are consistent with its overarching objective of attaining maritime power parity with the US. Its presence in this area is essential for protecting its South China Sea waters and gaining access to the Atlantic. While China has more modern nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, Singh maintained that India’s focus on capability development guarantees it remains poised to address regional issues effectively.
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