Underwater warfare goes to get extra aggressive within the Indian Ocean Region. Days after Pakistan laid a keel for an AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) submarine, India has introduced to check a 500 km vary submarine-launched cruise missile within the coming days.

India’s SLCM program is pushed by strategic components like China’s rising naval presence within the Indian Ocean and Pakistan’s developments in missile expertise.

SLCMs would add a survivable sea-based factor to bolster India’s land-based rocket drive, which the nation has envisaged. First articulated by former Chief of Defense Staff General Bipin Rawat, the institution of the Indian Rocket Force hinges on getting the theatre instructions operating.

These missiles shall be deployed on the submarines to be constructed beneath Project 75I, for which German ThyssenKrupp AG and Spanish Navantia are competing. India is planning to finally enhance the vary of its SLCM to 800 kilometers, which is able to cowl an unlimited swathe of China inside its vary, together with cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, and Xiamen.

The SLCMs are a part of India’s strategic protection capabilities that finally wish to construct a rocket drive. A trial of the SLCM was performed in February 2023, throughout which the SLCM achieved its targets inside a spread of 402 kilometers.

There are two variants – Land Attack Cruise Missile (LACM) and Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) meant for focusing on naval vessels.

India has been working in the direction of non-contact warfighting functionality with its homegrown SLCMs and brief and medium-range ballistic missiles, identical to PLA’s Rocket Force (PLARF), which controls Beijing’s arsenal of land-based ballistic missiles-both nuclear and standard. The PLARF has 40 brigades.

India is growing long-range land assault cruise missiles with a powerful vary of 1500 kilometers. Indian home industries resembling Larsen and Toubro, Godrej, and Sameer are partnering with the nation’s home Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

SLCMs are primarily designed for deployment on submarines and have a comparatively shorter vary in comparison with Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs). SLCMs are used for precision strikes in opposition to land-based targets or naval property, whereas ICBMs are a part of the nation’s nuclear deterrent. SLCMs are launched from submarines, which might function stealthily underwater, making them much less vulnerable to detection and pre-emptive strikes.

SLCMs observe a low-altitude trajectory throughout their flight. They fly near the floor, avoiding detection by radar programs. They will be launched comparatively rapidly from submarines, offering a fast response functionality. Successfully integrating SLCMs onto submarines just like the Kalvari-class SSKs and the nuclear-powered Arihant ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) is essential.

The SLCMs shall be examined first on the Russian-origin Sindhughosh (kilo class) submarines as deliberate.

The DRDO has additionally accomplished the event of the Pralay ballistic missiles with a strike vary from 150-500 km. The long-range land-attack cruise missiles and SLCMs with a 1000 km vary shall be prepared for manufacturing inside a few years.

Coastal batteries armed with the Brahmos anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) could function within the Indian Rocket Force together with land-based long-range ASCMs derived from the subsonic Nirbhay cruise missile.

These programs are prone to function closely in any future anti-access/space denial structure arrange by India within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

India plans to maintain the IRF and the Strategic Forces Command (SFC), which handles the nation’s nuclear arsenal, as separate entities.

So, the SFC will proceed to be accountable for the nuclear-capable Prithvi-II (350 km vary), Shaurya (750 km), Agni-1 (700 km), Agni-2 (2,000 km), agni 3 (3,000 km), Agni 4 (4000 km) and Agni-5 (over 5000 km) ballistic missiles in addition to nuclear-powered submarines armed with nuclear-tipped missiles and fighter jets able to dropping nuclear gravity bombs.

There is a stark asymmetry between China’s PLA Rocket Force and India’s fledgling efforts. China can inflict better injury on India by firing a barrage of standard missiles, whereas New Delhi’s response choices are restricted compared. Following a prolonged standoff with China since 2020, New Delhi is working to shut the potential hole with Beijing.

India’s former Army Chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, whereas underscoring the teachings realized from the Azerbaijan and Armenia battle in August 2021 mentioned: “One key lesson that emerged was that the concentration of aircraft, ships, and other forces to reinforce each other’s combat power made them sitting ducks. The tendency to converge to fight makes you vulnerable to the precision fires available to the adversary. There is, therefore, a need to aggregate fires rather than platforms.”

India’s SLCM Against Pakistan’s Babur

In 2017, Pakistan test-fired the Babur III SLCM from a cell underwater platform within the Indian Ocean. The missile is claimed to have a spread of 450 kilometers with underwater-controlled propulsion and superior steering and navigation.

Pakistan’s profitable check of the Babur III SLCM brings it nearer to attaining a purposeful nuclear triad. Babur III gives Pakistan with a reputable sea-based second-strike functionality, augmenting its current deterrence.

The Babur can carry a 450-kilogram unitary or cluster high-explosive warhead or a 10- or 35-kiloton nuclear warhead as much as 350-700 kilometers. The missile contains a terrain contour-matching (TERCOM) steering system, with upgraded variants having digital scene matching (DSMAC) and satellite tv for pc steering.

Pakistan’s profitable growth of SLCMs complicates India’s strategic calculations. And India’s SLCM seeks to rebalance the facility equation within the area.

India Levels Up Underwater Game

China’s submarine drive makes even the world powers apprehensive of its sheer numbers. Its submerged drive has 76 platforms – comprising 8 SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines), 13 SSNs (nuclear-powered assault submarines), and 55 SSKs (diesel-electric submarines).

Beijing makes no bones about its intentions to dominate the Indo-Pacific and, extra particularly, the Indian Ocean Region. India’s submarine functionality stays woefully brief, with solely 16 standard and one SSBN (INS Arihant). One SSN Akula class submarine on lease from Russia is but to reach.

A normal naval rule-of-thumb is that for each vessel working, two extra are required – one getting ready for deployment and one standing down from latest operations. The numbers are wanted to maintain up with the upkeep and crew’s relaxation and coaching schedule.

During peacetime, solely one-third of the fleet is anticipated to be deployed. More vessels will be deployed in wartime, however it’s nonetheless prudent to evaluate the provision realistically. The Chinese Navy is not only forging forward with the induction of submarines in its fleet but additionally equipping India’s neighbor Pakistan with state-of-the-art expertise.

The coming of AIP expertise to the Indian Navy will put its fleet in a greater place than Pakistan, with all three of its French Agosta-90B (PNS Khalid, Saad, and Hamza) powered by AIPs.

Pakistan can be anticipated to obtain eight 39 A Yuan-class AIP-powered submarines by the tip of 2023 beneath a US$5 billion take care of China.

• Ritu Sharma has been a journalist for over a decade, writing on protection, overseas affairs, and nuclear expertise.
• She will be reached at ritu.sharma (at) mail.com
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