Address At The Submarine Review, Visakhapatnam

Unique Silent Force

I am delighted to be in the Submarine and meet the officers and sailors in their working environment. My underwater journey in the submarine has given me the exposure to a new world and a great experience. My greetings to all of you.

Submarines are known to be the most invincible and silent force in the Naval Warfare. The German U-Boats had created panic among the allied forces during the naval battle in the Second World War. The same phenomena even prevail today. It has the ability to hide under sonic-shadow zones and because of its operations in higher depths at slow speed emanate very little noise. Both these characteristics in combination make it undetectable even by the best of sensors fitted in ships.

The submarines are now armed with most lethal weapons like mines, torpedoes; tube launched and vertically launched missiles. It has acquired capability of not only destroying the naval platforms at sea but also long range strategic land targets remaining undetectable through out the mission.

Strategic Navy like ours needs a submarine fleet. The Government has recently launched construction programme of submarines with state-of-the-art technology in the country, which I am sure will pave the path for adding more and more submarine in our Navy and simultaneously enable building of strong indigenous know-how in design, development and construction. I am sure we will be able to do it in much faster pace now due of the experience gained in our earlier construction of SSK-Submarines.

Independent of whatever foreign collaboration, it is essential for the Indian navy to launch the design, development of two types of submarines, one of the conventional class and the other strategic with long endurance capability.

I have seen and studied the KILO Class submarine and SSK class submarine and also long endurance submarines that is taking shape. Definitely, since our submarine crew in future warfare has to perform under the sea for long duration with high maneuver capability, there is a need for providing more space for strategic weapons and sensors and make the interior design crew friendly.

As the nation has advanced in the design, development of aerospace systems sensor technology like sonar, gyro system and control system design, structural design for stealth characteristics and hydro dynamic configuration it is time for Navy to launch indigenous design, development of our own submarine. In this connection I have always seen naval design teams have shown the capability for indigenous design. Also, a long endurance submarine is being developed with partnership. This should give confidence to build special class of strategic submarines indigenously.

The strategies of war has undergone a revolutionary change because of satellite based surveillance systems and many other advanced systems being deployed for monitoring the submarine presence. We will therefore need to have submarines with long underwater endurance and stealthier from the point of acoustic and magnetic emissions. I am sure, that our Naval fleet is equipped with platforms with such type of performance.

I greatly appreciate the challenges being encountered by submarine team members. Their life is enclosed in a small environment but what keep them going are the continuous pressure and the continuous surveillance that they have to maintain for the safety of the submarine and meeting the operational needs. I greet the valiant sailors and officers of this silent force, for performing such onerous tasks.

My best wishes.