Presidential Fleet Review: India showcases maritime might
Rajat Pandit,
TNN
TNN
Dec 21, 2011
MUMBAI: India on Tuesday showcased its growing maritime might, in all its three-dimensional power with potent warships, lethal submarines and maritime strike supersonic fighters, underlining its intent to safeguard its geo-political interests stretching from Hormuz Strait till Malacca Strait in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.
Though the Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) held with much fanfare off here was largely a ceremonial occasion, the strategic underpinning was all too clear. India does not want to be reduced to playing catch-up with China in IOR, in a repeat of New Delhi's ongoing belated attempts to counter Beijing's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control.
"The Navy, today, is poised to achieve new milestones with the imminent induction of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (refitted Admiral Gorshkov slated for inducted by early-2013), the Kolkata-class stealth destroyers, the follow-on Talwar-class frigates, the indigenous anti-submarine warfare corvettes and an impressive number of submarines and aircraft,'' said President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
"Indian Navy is one of the most capable in the region, and with its well-thought out modernization plans, is destined to grow even further,'' said Patil, after taking the salute at the impressive PFR with 81 warships and 44 aircraft displaying their war-waging capabilities.
The Navy will indeed grow. But it will not come cheap, especially if India has to defend its economic interests far way from its shores. The recent exploration stand-off with China in South China Sea, with an Indian warship even being threatened by Beijing in the region, is a case in point.
Consequently, India plans to spend well upwards of Rs 3 lakh crore over the next 15 years to transform the force into, as Admiral Nirmal Verma himself puts it, "a brand new multi-dimensional Navy'' with "reach and sustainability''. India has 49 new warships and submarines as well as 45 MiG-29K fighters and 12 P-8I long-range reconnaissance aircraft on order, with several new projects in the pipeline.
All this is crucial to counter China's ever-expanding footprint in IOR. After forging extensive maritime links from east Africa to Cambodia, which includes help in construction of ports like Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Kyaukphyu in Myanmar, China has recently established a full-fledged embassy in the Maldives, and also announced "a new turn-around'' naval facility in Seychelles.
India has 132 warships, including 50 "major combatants'' and 14 ageing submarines, 80 aircraft, 122 helicopters and 14 spy drones.
In sharp contrast, in terms of surface and sub-surface warfare, China has over 75 "principal combatants'', 55 large and medium amphibious ships, 85 missile-equipped smaller warships and over 60 submarines, a dozen of them nuclear ones.
Indian Navy, however, is much more experienced in "blue-water'' operations. But it still has to keep a hawk-eye on the Chinese Navy, which is spreading its wings now, driven though as of now it may be by its desperate need to secure its energy and other needs being transported through sea routes.
India's economic growth, too, is inextricably linked to the seas, which in turn requires a potent Navy capable of tackling any exigency. Over 90% of India's trade by volume and 77% by value are transported over the seas.
India has to be prepared for the high-intensity shadow boxing unfolding on the high seas with China, in their hunt for the same strategic space in IOR, far away from their disputed land borders. The PFR signaled India's intent not to cede maritime ground easily.
Nguồn: The Times of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Presidential-Fleet-Review-India-showcases-maritime-might/articleshow/11187148.cms
MUMBAI: India on Tuesday showcased its growing maritime might, in all its three-dimensional power with potent warships, lethal submarines and maritime strike supersonic fighters, underlining its intent to safeguard its geo-political interests stretching from Hormuz Strait till Malacca Strait in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and beyond.
Though the Presidential Fleet Review (PFR) held with much fanfare off here was largely a ceremonial occasion, the strategic underpinning was all too clear. India does not want to be reduced to playing catch-up with China in IOR, in a repeat of New Delhi's ongoing belated attempts to counter Beijing's massive build-up of military infrastructure all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control.
"The Navy, today, is poised to achieve new milestones with the imminent induction of aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (refitted Admiral Gorshkov slated for inducted by early-2013), the Kolkata-class stealth destroyers, the follow-on Talwar-class frigates, the indigenous anti-submarine warfare corvettes and an impressive number of submarines and aircraft,'' said President Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
"Indian Navy is one of the most capable in the region, and with its well-thought out modernization plans, is destined to grow even further,'' said Patil, after taking the salute at the impressive PFR with 81 warships and 44 aircraft displaying their war-waging capabilities.
The Navy will indeed grow. But it will not come cheap, especially if India has to defend its economic interests far way from its shores. The recent exploration stand-off with China in South China Sea, with an Indian warship even being threatened by Beijing in the region, is a case in point.
Consequently, India plans to spend well upwards of Rs 3 lakh crore over the next 15 years to transform the force into, as Admiral Nirmal Verma himself puts it, "a brand new multi-dimensional Navy'' with "reach and sustainability''. India has 49 new warships and submarines as well as 45 MiG-29K fighters and 12 P-8I long-range reconnaissance aircraft on order, with several new projects in the pipeline.
All this is crucial to counter China's ever-expanding footprint in IOR. After forging extensive maritime links from east Africa to Cambodia, which includes help in construction of ports like Hambantota in Sri Lanka, Chittagong in Bangladesh and Kyaukphyu in Myanmar, China has recently established a full-fledged embassy in the Maldives, and also announced "a new turn-around'' naval facility in Seychelles.
India has 132 warships, including 50 "major combatants'' and 14 ageing submarines, 80 aircraft, 122 helicopters and 14 spy drones.
In sharp contrast, in terms of surface and sub-surface warfare, China has over 75 "principal combatants'', 55 large and medium amphibious ships, 85 missile-equipped smaller warships and over 60 submarines, a dozen of them nuclear ones.
Indian Navy, however, is much more experienced in "blue-water'' operations. But it still has to keep a hawk-eye on the Chinese Navy, which is spreading its wings now, driven though as of now it may be by its desperate need to secure its energy and other needs being transported through sea routes.
India's economic growth, too, is inextricably linked to the seas, which in turn requires a potent Navy capable of tackling any exigency. Over 90% of India's trade by volume and 77% by value are transported over the seas.
India has to be prepared for the high-intensity shadow boxing unfolding on the high seas with China, in their hunt for the same strategic space in IOR, far away from their disputed land borders. The PFR signaled India's intent not to cede maritime ground easily.
Nguồn: The Times of India, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Presidential-Fleet-Review-India-showcases-maritime-might/articleshow/11187148.cms
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