THE Indian Navy has recently decided to give top priority to building a fleet of nuclear submarines, armed with nuclear-tipped Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles (SLBMs) and build a fleet of six such attack submarines. At present the only India-made nuclear sub is INS Arihant. Another submarine leased from Russia for ten years in 2012 (INS Chkara II) will have to be returned soon. The programme for building another aircraft carrier has been shelved for now. At present India has only one aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya. It was originally a Soviet ship, named Admiral Gorsshkov commissioned by the Soviet Navy in 1987 and decommissioned in 1996. It was refitted and sold to India at an exorbitant price of $2.35 billion in January, 2004. Read More…
