India clinches $2.6 billion Russia submarine deal as Putin visits
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Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian PM Narendra Modi at a meeting on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Tianjin on Sept 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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NEW DELHI – India will pay about US$2 billion (S$2.6 billion) to lease a nuclear-powered submarine from Russia after striking a deal just as President Vladimir Putin makes a visit to New Delhi this week.
The delivery of the vessel was finalised after roughly a decade of talks, said people familiar with the matter.
Talks on leasing the attack submarine from Russia had stalled over the years because of price negotiations, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.
The two sides have now agreed on the deal, with Indian officials visiting a Russian shipyard in November.
India expects to take delivery of the vessel within two years, although the complexity of the project means it could be later.
Mr Putin is set to arrive in India on Dec 4 for his first visit to the country since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to underscore defence and energy ties between the two countries.
Mr Modi has moved to boost ties with Russia and China in recent months, asserting India’s strategic autonomy after US President Donald Trump hit the nation’s goods with punitive tariff rates of 50 per cent.
Mr Modi’s government is currently negotiating a trade deal to reduce those duties, which were imposed as part of Mr Trump’s push to pressure India to stop buying Russian oil as he looks for leverage on Mr Putin to end the fighting in Ukraine.
Ahead of Mr Putin’s visit, Indian chief of naval staff Dinesh Tripathi this week said the commissioning of the attack submarine would be expected soon, without providing details. The submarine will be larger than the two already part of the navy’s fleet.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Defence Ministry did not respond to e-mails seeking further details. Russia’s Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Defence and Rosoboronexport also did not respond to requests for comment.
India has developed nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs), which in theory give it the so-called triad of atomic weapons that can be delivered from land, sea and air, the Nuclear Threat Initiative said in a report.
Nuclear-powered vessels are vastly superior to diesel-electric counterparts. They are typically larger, can stay submerged far longer and are quieter, making them harder to track, especially when patrolling the vast areas of the Indian and Pacific oceans. India currently operates 17 diesel-powered submarines, NTI said.
India’s nuclear-powered submarines used for strategic deterrence are indigenously built and designed to carry SLBMs. India is also preparing to build nuclear-powered attack submarines, designed to hunt and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships.
Training purposes
Under the lease terms, the Russian attack submarine cannot be used in war. It would help India train sailors and refine nuclear-boat operations as it builds its own vessels, the people said.
The Russian leased vessel would be with the Indian navy for 10 years. The last Russian boat, also on a lease for 10 years, returned in 2021. The contract for the lease would include maintenance.
As the Indian Ocean region draws more attention, interest in such vessels has grown. Australia is teaming up with Britain and US to build similar boats under the Aukus security partnership.
Until now, only a few nations – the US, Britain, France, China and Russia – have had the technology to deploy and operate nuclear-powered submarines.
South Korea is also working the US to build nuclear-powered submarines.
India continues to maintain longstanding ties with Moscow while pursuing deeper links with the US. It has reduced its reliance on Russian weapons by acquiring more arms from the US and European countries.
Even so, Mr Modi’s decision to rely on Russia for nuclear submarines shows India’s ease with Moscow on critical platforms, despite criticism from Mr Trump
“They have bought vast majority of their military equipment from Russia and are Russia’s largest buyer of energy with China,” Mr Trump said in a Truth Social post in July.
The US has pressured India to stop buying Russian oil
India’s third ballistic missile submarine is expected to join the nuclear forces in 2026, according to Admiral Tripathi. In addition, India is building two nuclear-powered attack submarines, Bloomberg News reported. BLOOMBERG
