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Russia to help in Sindhurakshak fire probe

“India has technological, scientific and financial capabilities to acquire and operate nuclear submarines. Diesel submarines are needed for countries like Russia that have shallow inland seas, or have political constraints, like Japan.”

August 17, 2013

Vladimir Radyuhin

Dmitry Rogozin, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of the defence industry, said Russia would help India strengthen its defense potential dented by the loss of the INS Sindhurakshak.

Mr Rogozin offered Russian help in investigating the fatal explosion on the submarine INS Sindhurakshak and vowed to expand defense cooperation between the two countries.

“Whatever the outcome [of the Sindhurakshak blast probe], India remains our leading partner, not just only in the off-the-shelf purchases of weapon platforms,” said Mr. Rogozin.

“India is our premier partner for the long haul in co-development of military hardware. We will help India build up its capabilities in this sphere,” Mr. Rogozin told reporters on a visit to Russia’s major nuclear submarine base in Vilyuchinsk, Kamchatka Peninsula, in the Far East, on Friday.

Experts see three ways as to how Russia could help India enhance its submarine fleet strength — which has now been reduced to 13 vessels. Russian shipbuilders have offered to carry out life-extension repairs for the nine Kilo-class submarines in the IN inventory, which have a service life of 25 years with one mid-term repair.

“We think it would be advisable to undertake a second mid-term repair that will add another five to seven or even 10 years to the submarines’ scheduled service life,” Andrei Dyachkov, the then Director General of Sevmash shipyard, told The Hindu earlier this year.

Russia also plans to field its latest Amur-1650 submarines in the IN tender for six new diesel-electric submarines which is due to be floated shortly.

However, according to a leading Russian arms and armoury expert, the long-term solution for India would be to switch from diesel to nuclear-powered submarines.

“I think the era of diesel submarines is drawing to a close for the Indian Navy,” said Konstantin Makienko, deputy Director of the CAST defense think tank. “India has technological, scientific and financial capabilities to acquire and operate nuclear submarines. Diesel submarines are needed for countries like Russia that have shallow inland seas, or have political constraints, like Japan.”

Mr. Makienko suggested that India could lease from Russia two or three Akula II nuclear submarines in addition to the INS Chakra — inducted last year.

“With three or four nuclear submarines in its inventory, the Indian Navy would be in a position to keep permanent presence in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal and train crews for indigenously-built nuclear submarines,” the Russian expert said.

Indian Navy sticks to ‘accident’ story behind submarine disaster

Rajat Pandit, TNN | Aug 17, 2013

NEW DELHI: Preliminary assessments show “a plain and simple accident” in the “fully-loaded” weapons compartment of INS Sindhurakshak, which caused “sympathetic detonation” of some missile and torpedo warheads, probably led to the sinking of the Kilo-class submarine in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Though holding that the board of inquiry (BoI) headed by senior submariner Commodore Deepak Bhist will pinpoint the reason, top naval sources on Friday virtually ruled out hydrogen gas leakage, “a major material failure”, or sabotage being responsible for the disaster.

This then leaves “mishandling of ammunition” as the most plausible reason for the massive explosions that even “ejected” a Klub-S cruise missile out of the vessel. Asked about this, the sources said even if “mishandling” was the case, it was “more of an accident” rather than “lack of training or expertise”.

“Something could have slipped from someone’s hand … a device could have malfunctioned. We don’t know yet since the mangled submarine is still underwater. But the 18 on board were highly-experienced, including three officers and three `underwater weapons specialist’ petty officers (junior commissioned officers),” said a source.

INS Sindhurakshak, with a full complement of 18 missiles and torpedoes, was set to sail on “a long deployment patrol” early on Wednesday morning. The submarine’s second-in-command or executive officer Lt-Commander Nikhilesh Pal, a bachelor, was on board for the final “prepare sub for sea” when something went drastically wrong.

“The torpedo air flask, which contains compressed pure oxygen, could have exploded due to something even if the exploder mechanism had not been inserted into it. Sympathetic detonation would have followed since the missiles and torpedoes are stacked together in the six tubes and the 12 racks behind them,” said the source.

Rejecting hydrogen gas leakage as a “dim possibility”, the sources said the 240 lead acid batteries, each weighing around 800kg, on the submarine were “brand new” after its over two-year $156 million refit in Russia.

” Old batteries emit more hydrogen. The maximum amount of hydrogen is emitted while batteries are being charged … the process had been finished in INS Sindhurakshak over two days before the mishap. Moreover, Hydrogen levels are continuously monitored by duty-watch sailors,” he said.

Similarly, the possibility of “a major material failure” is being discounted since the submarine had undergone extensive sea-trials, checks and certification processes after its refit. “INS Sindhurakshak had already finished 1,000 dived hours after the refit. If there was a defect, it would have been detected and rectified during the operations as well as the regular `turning of arms’ drills during everything is powered on,” he added.

Sabotage also looks “highly-unlikely” because it would require “a long chain of conspirators and insiders” who could get access to the submarine guarded round-the-clock while it was berthed in harbour. “Nothing, of course, can be completely ruled out till the forensic examination of the submarine and the exact sequence of events established during the BoI,” he said.   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/INS-Sindhurakshak-Indian-Navy-sticks-to-accident-story-behind-submarine-disaster/articleshow/21871022.cms?

August 17, 2013 - Posted by arclight2011part2 | Uncategorized