India is leasing Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs) as a strategic “stopgap” to fill a critical capability gap in its underwater combat fleet, crucial for deterring threats from China and Pakistan.
The leasing program, which dates back to the Cold War, allows India to gain operational experience and train crews while its indigenous nuclear submarine program, including the Arihant-class SSBNs, develops slowly due to lack of expertise and delays.
The most recent leased submarine, INS Chakra-III (K-519 Iribis), is an upgraded Akula-class vessel that was originally to be delivered by 2025 under a $3 billion deal signed in 2019. However, its delivery has been delayed until at least 2028, primarily due to technical issues, disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine war, and Western sanctions affecting Russia’s ship refurbishment processes.
The K-519 Iribis, originally laid down at the Amur Shipyard in 1994, was mothballed following Russia’s financial collapse in the mid-1990s. Approximately 40 per cent complete, it now represents a viable candidate for transfer to India following significant modernisation.
Reports indicate that the submarine’s refit will integrate advanced combat systems, upgraded sonar arrays, digital communication suites, and extended-range Kalibr cruise missiles capable of striking both land and sea targets over distances exceeding 1,500 kilometres. INS Chakra-III requires extensive work, including reactivating its nuclear reactor and integrating Indian communication and sensor systems to ensure interoperability with the Indian Navy’s operational protocols.
The modernised Akula design, known for its exceptional stealth and endurance, can operate at depths exceeding 600 metres and reach speeds above 30 knots. Equipped with six 533 mm torpedo tubes and an array of heavyweight torpedoes and cruise missiles, the Iribis will
significantly extend India’s undersea reach well into the South China Sea, should operational imperatives dictate. Once commissioned, the submarine will serve as both a frontline combat asset and an advanced training platform for India’s future indigenous SSN program, which is progressing under the DRDO-led Advanced Technology Vessel project at Visakhapatnam.
Sources within the Ministry of Defence have confirmed that Indian technical teams have already conducted preliminary assessments at Russian shipyards to review the condition of the K-519 hull and determine modernisation requirements. The inspection phase forms part of a broader design evaluation aimed at aligning the submarine’s systems with Indian Navy doctrine, ensuring compatibility with existing sonar networks, communication infrastructures, and future sensor fusion efforts shared across the P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and forthcoming indigenous ASW platforms.
Strategically, the acquisition of Iribis would be a timely reinforcement as China commissions the next-generation Type 093B Shang-class and Type 094A Jin-class submarines, equipped with quieter propulsion and long-range YJ-18 anti-ship cruise missiles.
These developments pose a significant challenge to India’s conventionally powered submarine fleet and highlight the urgency of deploying nuclear-powered assets capable of sustained blue-water patrols. The Akula’s ability to remain submerged for prolonged periods, evade detection, and operate across theatre boundaries makes it indispensable in this evolving maritime landscape.
India’s use of leased Russian Akula-class submarines provides a cost-effective means to bolster its underwater warfare capabilities, allowing it to project power and counter increasing Chinese naval presence in the Indian Ocean as well as Pakistan’s naval modernisation. This leasing arrangement also reinforces the longstanding defence partnership with Russia, built since the Cold War, even as India pursues closer ties with the West.
India’s decision to lease Russian Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarines represents a deliberate strategic choice to maintain underwater deterrence capabilities during a transitional phase in its naval modernisation.
INS Chakra-III will undergo significant customisation before induction into the Indian Navy, including reactivation of its nuclear reactor, modernisation of onboard systems, and integration of Indian-origin communication, navigation, and command software.
These upgrades will align the vessel with India’s operational and safety standards and ensure seamless interoperability across the Navy’s existing networked assets. The submarine’s induction, once completed, will restore a critical element of India’s undersea capability, temporarily filling the void left after the earlier INS Chakra (II) returned to Russia in 2021.
From a strategic standpoint, leasing Akula-class submarines provides India an economical means to sustain nuclear-powered maritime operations without committing to the full financial and industrial burden of developing and maintaining a large indigenous SSN fleet.
These submarines significantly enhance India’s operational reach in the Indo-Pacific region by offering longer endurance, greater mobility, and stealth advantages compared to conventionally powered submarines. They enable India to monitor Chinese naval activities in the Indian Ocean and safeguard its sea lanes of communication, particularly in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea.
The leasing arrangement also underscores the continuity of India-Russia defence cooperation, which has endured despite broader global realignments. Over decades, this partnership has evolved from simple buyer-seller arrangements into complex co-development projects involving advanced systems.
India’s reliance on Russian designs for its nuclear submarines and propulsion systems continues to be a cornerstone of this relationship. Nonetheless, the delays and difficulties now being experienced highlight the limits of dependence on Russian industry in the current sanctions-affected environment.
India’s indigenous nuclear submarine program, though progressing slowly, remains a long-term priority for strategic autonomy. The Arihant-class SSBNs have given India an assured second-strike capability, but progress on the SSN line has faced setbacks due to limited technical infrastructure, inadequate specialised manpower, and restricted access to reactor miniaturisation technologies.
The experience gained through operating leased Akula submarines is therefore invaluable in shaping crew competence, maintenance culture, and support ecosystem development for future Indian-built platforms.
Although India recognises that Western arms are often technologically more advanced, it remains dependent on Russian oil imports and defence cooperation, leading to a geopolitical balancing act. Western technologies may be more advanced, but Russian cooperation remains readily accessible, familiar, and geopolitically flexible for India’s long-term strategic needs.
Continued leasing of Russian nuclear submarines underscores India’s deep trust in Moscow amidst a complex international security environment.
India’s leasing of Russia’s Akula-class nuclear attack submarines is a strategic interim solution to maintain a credible underwater deterrent and operational experience while delaying and refining its indigenous nuclear submarine development, amid ongoing geopolitical and technical challenges with Russia and Western sanctions.
IDN (With Agency Inputs)
