By James Lamont in New Delhi and Varun Sood in Mumbai
Published: July 30 2009 19:28 | Last updated: July 30 2009 19:28
India has plans to add about 100 warships to its navy over the next decade as it seeks to modernise its armed forces, and develop its low-cost shipbuilding capabilities.
Captain Alok Bhatnagar, director of naval plans at India’s ministry of defence, said on Thursday that 32 warships and submarines were under construction in the country’s shipyards. Work on 75 more ships, including aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates and amphibious vessels, would begin over 10 years.
New Delhi is sensitive to lagging behind Beijing's naval might in the region. China has three times the number of combat vessels as India and five times the personnel. Officials are wary of port developments in neighbouring Pakistan and Sri Lanka that offer Chinese warships anchorages and potentially greater control of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea.
However, India has one of the fastest growing navies in the world. Its fleet of about 120 vessels is the fifth largest. At the weekend, it launched a locally built nuclear-powered submarine, based on a Russian design, to join only a few countries with the technical prowess to produce such a war machine.
Speaking at a seminar on naval self-reliance in New Delhi, Capt Bhatnagar said it was a “strategic necessity” for India to develop its own naval shipyard capabilities to avoid “being held hostage to foreign countries in a crisis situation”.
| War machines | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Aircraft carriers | 1 |
| Destroyers | 8 |
| Frigates | 13 |
| Corvettes | 24 |
| Minesweepers | 14 |
| Landing ships | 10 |
| Missile boats | 2 |
| Fleet Auxillary ships | 8 |
| Submarines | 16 |
| Research ships | 9 |
| Seaward Defence Forces | 13 |
| Offshore patrol vessels | 6 |
“China is developing its navy at a great rate. Its ambitions in the Indian Ocean are quite clear.”
Admiral Sureesh Mehta, chief of naval staff, said the navy would spend more than Rs200bn ($4bn, €3bn, £2.5bn) a year on new capabilities, with about 60 per cent devoted to acquisitions of naval hardware. He stressed the need to develop the indigenous defence industry with a view to becoming an exporter of technology to Middle East and south-east Asian countries. He advocated the creation of a business framework that encouraged international defence companies to “set up shop” in locally-based shipyards.
India has partnered Italy’s Fincantieri in the design of the aircraft carrier, andThales, the French defence company, to build six Scorpene submarines in Mumbai. Larsen & Toubro, the listed Indian engineering company, is building a Rupees 30bn shipyard near Chennai and supplies weapons and steering systems.
A Mumbai-based defence contractor said the government was considering raising the foreign direct investment cap in the defence industry to 49 per cent from 26 per cent.
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Pakistan receives Chinese frigates
China on Thursday formally handed over the first of four new naval frigates built for Pakistan in a deal which highlights the close ties between the armed forces of the two countries, writes Farhan Bokhari.
The launch of the new frigate is part of the F-22P programme, estimated to be worth $700m (€497m, £424m), which includes the supply of a batch of Chinese helicopters.
“The addition of these new ships will not only strengthen the Pakistan navy fleet but will also [enhance] the country's shipbuilding capabilities,” Pakistan's navy said.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
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