Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited a modern US Navy testing facility for ships and submarines in Memphis, Tennessee. The facility, known as the William B Morgan Large Cavitation Channel (LCC), is part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). It is one of the world’s largest and most advanced water tunnel facilities for testing submarines, torpedoes, naval surface ships, and propellers. The visit comes when India seeks to establish a similar facility for testing locally produced platforms. During the visit, senior officials briefed the Defence Minister about the facility.
Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh visits Naval Surface Warfare Centre in US.https://t.co/zq7Sfk7oYv pic.twitter.com/SWe1RFAw80
— रक्षा मंत्री कार्यालय/ RMO India (@DefenceMinIndia) August 25, 2024
Singh was accompanied by the Ambassador of India to the US, the Director General, Naval Operations from the Indian Navy, and the DRDO Defence Technology Counsellor, among others. According to a statement, he was received by the US Deputy Under Secretary of the Navy for Policy and briefed by the Commander and Technical Director of the NSWC.
“The discussions intend to support the ongoing proposal for establishment of a similar facility for indigenous design and development in India,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement.
Operational since 1991, the LCC is part of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division, which is one of the US Navy’s leading research and development facilities focusing on critical ship and submarine design. According to the US Navy, the LCC offers substantial cost savings for testing large-scale models of advanced ship and submarine system designs and full-scale torpedoes in a controlled environment. The facility allows the US Navy to measure the power, efficiency, and propeller noise of submarines and surface ships using models in a controlled yet realistic environment. The facility also has commercial use.
“Witnessed the pathbreaking experiments at the facility. India and the US look forward to work together and benefit from each other’s experiences,” Singh wrote on X.
Visited Naval Surface Warfare Centre at Carderock and witnessed the pathbreaking experiments at the facility. India and the US look forward to work together and benefit from each other’s experiences. pic.twitter.com/1uoRTlVNjG
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 25, 2024
Singh visited Memphis after meeting US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington. Prior to that, Singh had discussions with leaders of various American defence companies in Washington, such as General Atomics and GE. He outlined the emerging opportunities for co-development and co-production in India. He highlighted the reforms initiated by the government to make the country an attractive destination for foreign original equipment manufacturers and an alternative export hub.
Ravi Shankar
