Indian Navy has announced that the Cabinet Committee on Security(CSS), chaired by PM Modi has approved major deals for building 2 nuclear submarines(SSNs) and buying 31 predator drones from the US worth around Rs 68,000 crore.
This will help boost its capabilities manifold in the Indian Ocean region.
These are to be built domestically with a budget of over ₹ 40,000 Crore `Project-77’ to construct the two nuclear-powered attack submarines armed with a conventional missile, torpedoes, and other weapons. The involvement of private sector firms like Larsen and Toubro will invest heavily in this deal to build 2 submarines at the shipbuilding center in Visakhapatnam.
India plans to build 6 such boats in the long run as part of its submarine induction plan.
These developments are undertaken under the advanced technology vessel project, which is different from the nuclear submarines being built under the Arihant class.
Moreover, cabinet committees cleared another mega deal acquiring 31 drones from US-based General Atomics under the foreign military sales contract.
According to the contract, the MQ-9B drones will come within four years of the signing of the deal. The distribution of drones among the different sectors is as such – the navy gets 15, while the Army and Indian Air Force get 8 each.
These drones are designed to fly for almost 40 hours at altitudes over 40,000 feet and will come with hellfire missiles, GBU-39B precision-guided glide, bombs, navigation systems, sensor suites, and mobile ground control systems, among many other features. The Army and the Air Force will jointly deploy their drones at two bases in UP, while the Navy will station its drones at INS Rajali.
MQ-9B and SSNs can gather intelligence, track enemy targets at extended ranges, and destroy them if needed. This is a major step towards boosting the country’s naval and defense capabilities.
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