India Signs $3 Billion Lease for Russian Akula II Class Nuclear Submarine

Delhi and Moscow have reportedly signed a ten year lease agreement on March 7th under which the Russian Navy will provide its Indian counterpart with one of its Akula II Class nuclear submarines (K-322 Kashalot) for a period of ten years. Details of the contract have yet to be released, and it is reported that some contract details have yet to be resolved before a second signing. Contract details are particularly complicated given India’s insistence that the submarine be modified to integrate indigenous systems including communications and sensors. These include the Indian made USHUS integrated sonar system and Panchendriya sonar and tactical control system.

The Akula II Class represents a considerable enhancement of the original Akula Class design which entered service in the Soviet Navy in 1984, four of which are currently active in the Russian Navy. The submarines are three meters longer and displace approximately 700 tons more than the Akula I, and replace the original’s MGK-501 Skat sonar system with the new MGK-540 Skat-3 sonar system. The submarine is also considerably quieter than the original, and is  the first Soviet submarine considered quieter than its American analogue - the Los Angeles Class. A single Akula II Class ship is currently operated by the Indian Navy, also under lease, which was commissioned as the INS Chakra in April 2012. Three hundred Indian Navy personnel were trained in Russian to operate this 12,800 ton boat, the only nuclear attack submarine in the Indian Navy. The INS Chakra deploys 300km range Club-S nuclear capable cruise missiles, which have a considerably shorter range than the original munitions deployed by boats in Soviet and Russian service which retained ranges of 3000km. The shorter ranged missiles are better suited to the requirements of the Indian Navy, which intends the submarine primarily for theatre operations in South Asia rather than global power projection.

Russia notably has a number of nuclear attack submarines in reserve, as while it inherited a large number from the Soviet Union its crippling economic contraction in the 1990s meant it could no longer afford to operate such large numbers. India is reportedly considering leasing further submarines to expand its fleet, which would arguably form the most lethal arm of its Navy. As the Indian Navy is already familiar with the Akula II Class, which is capable of speeds of 30 knots and can operate submerged to depths over half a kilometre, it is possible that it will seek out further ships of this class or other variants of the Akula Class with similar capabilities.