Pakistan’s Chinese stealth submarines set to spur Indian navy’s upgrade as Beijing eyes oceanic expansion

According to the analysts, the Hangor-class submarines boasting advanced technology such as air-independent propulsion (AIP) and new sensors have an advantage over India’s highest Kalvari class – or Scorpène-class – submarines.

Former India’s chief of naval staff Admiral Arun Prakash told This Week in Asia that diesel submarines or conventional submarines with AIP had a bigger edge as none of India’s submarines were equipped with AIP technology.

“The only comparable submarine to AIP-equipped subs is a nuclear-attack submarine, but they are also quite noisy and can be detected from a long range. We have nuclear submarines but those are ballistic missile submarines, they are not meant for a routine role until we have a nuclear attack.”

The Hangor-class boats have much greater capability in underwater endurance and can remain submerged up to 10 to 14 days, far surpassing the usual 48-hour endurance of other diesel-type vessels.

While India possessed 16 conventional submarines, it recently said only six were workable and the remainder in the fleet were nearing their decommissioning date.

On the other hand, with the addition of the eight Hangor-class submarines, Pakistan’s total strength of AIP-equipped submarines would reach 11. It already installed a French AIP system in three of its existing Agosta 90B submarines in 2008.

Prakash said India was also looking into retrofitting the AIP system into its current vessels or installing it in a new class of submarines yet to come. He estimated it would take “another seven to 10 years before India has AIP submarines”.

The Indian navy is in talks with German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Spanish Navantia under a scheme called Project 75-I to build at least six AIP-equipped