Engineering:Sindhughosh-class submarine

Short description: Class of diesel-electric submarines used by the Indian Navy

INS Sindhuvijay (S62)
Class overview
Name:	Sindhughosh class
Operators:	Indian Navy Myanmar Navy
Preceded by:	Vela class
Succeeded by:	Kalvari class
In commission:	1986–
Planned:	10
Completed:	10
Active:	7
Retired:	3
General characteristics
Type:	Attack Submarine
Displacement:	2,325 t (2,288 long tons) surfaced 3,076 t (3,027 long tons) submerged
Length:	72.6 m (238 ft 2 in)
Beam:	9.9 m (32 ft 6 in)
Draught:	6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
Propulsion:	2 × diesel-electric motors, 3,650 hp (2,722 kW) each 1 × motor, 5,900 hp (4,400 kW) 2 × auxiliary motors, 204 hp (152 kW) 1 × economic speed motor, 130 hp (97 kW)
Speed:	11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) submerged
Range:	6,000 mi (9,700 km) at 7 kn (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) snorkeling 400 mi (640 km) at 3 kn (5.6 km/h; 3.5 mph) submerged
Test depth:	300 m (980 ft)
Complement:	53 (13 Officers)
Armament:	Club-S missile Type 53-65 torpedo TEST 71/76 anti-submarine, active-passive homing torpedo 24 × DM-1 mines in lieu of torpedoes

Sindhughosh-class submarines are Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy. Their names are in Sanskrit, but in their Roman-alphabet forms sometimes a final short -a is dropped.

The Sindhughosh submarines, designated 877EKM, were designed as part of Project 877, and built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Ministry of Defence (India).

The submarines have a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, top speed of 18 knots, and are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of 53. The final unit was the first to be equipped with the 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27) antiship cruise missiles with a range of 220 km.

Life extension and refit

INS Sindhuvijay has been upgraded with the hydro acoustical USHUS complex and the CCS-MK radio communications system. On 29 August 2014 DAC cleared the long-awaited mid-life upgrade of the four Kilo-class submarines, which would be carried out in Indian shipyards and is likely to cost Rs. 4,800 crore (4,800 million). On 5 November 2014 official sources at HSL said more than 90% of the work has been completed on the seventh submarine of the Sindhughosh class INS Sindhukirti. Scheduled to re-join the fleet on 31 March 2015, she re-entered service on 23 May.

The Indian Navy signed a contract with the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to refit and upgrade the existing submarines and to extend their operational life by 35 years. The first submarine, INS Sindhukesari, will be sent for refit starting June 2016. The extensive refit, the value for which is pegged at Rs 5,000 crore for a total of four submarines, will not only extend the life of the boats but will also upgrade their combat potential and fitted with Klub land attack cruise missile.

In 2015, the naval exercise Malabar, between the navies of India and the United States, involved Sindhudhvaj and USS City of Corpus Christi hunting each other. India Today reported that Sindhudhvaj managed to track Corpus Christi and score a simulated kill without being detected.

In December 2015, L&T was chosen by the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to be its Indian partner in the refit project. While the first of the four Kilo class subs will go to the Russian Zvezdochka shipyard for inspection and refit, the remaining three are likely to be modernized at the Kattupalli shipyard. The first of the submarines to be modernized at private yard, a first for India, will go in by 2017, An order for 2-3 more submarines could also be commissioned, depending on ongoing acquisition plans of the Indian Navy.

Incidents

• On 10 January 2008, INS Sindhughosh collided with the cargo ship MV Leeds Castle. The submarine was reported to have sustained superficial damage to its conning tower. As a result, the submarine was out of service for a month. The cargo ship was in restricted shallow waters.
• On 26 February 2010, a fire on board INS Sindhurakshak killed one sailor and injured two others. The fire was due to a defective battery.
• On 14 August 2013 an explosion, followed by a fire, was reported to have occurred on Sindhurakshak. Sindhurakshak sank in the dock.
• On 17 January 2014, Sindhughosh ran aground due to the low tide, while returning to the Naval Dockyard, Mumbai.
• On 26 February 2014, smoke was detected on board INS Sindhuratna resulting in 7 sailors being rendered unconscious and two dead. Those unconscious were airlifted to hospital

Ships of the class

Name	Pennant	Builder	Homeport	Commission date	Decommission date	Status
Sindhughosh	S55	Sevmash, Severodvinsk	Mumbai	30 April 1986		Refitted to project 08773 2002-2005 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhudhvaj	S56			12 June 1987	16 July 2022	Decommissioned
Sindhuraj	S57			20 October 1987		Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard.
Sindhuvir	S58			26 August 1988	March 2020	Refit at Hindustan Shipyard completed. Transferred to Myanmar Navy in March 2020.
Sindhuratna	S59			22 December 1988		Refitted to project 08773 2001-2003 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhukesari	S60		Vishakhapatnam	16 February 1989		Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard.
Sindhukirti	S61			4 January 1990		Refitted to project 08773 from 2007-2015 in her home base Vishakhapatnam
Sindhuvijay	S62			18 March 1991		Refitted to project 08773 2005-2007 at Zvezdochka shipyard
Sindhurakshak	S63		Mumbai	24 December 1997	5 September 2017	Refitted to project 08773 09.08.2010-2012 at Zvezdochka shipyard. Exploded and sank in Mumbai 14 August 2013
Sindhurashtra	S65		Vishakhapatnam	19 July 2000		To be Refitted to project 08773

Gallery

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  INS Sindhurakshak

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  INS Sindhuvijay

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  INS Sindhurakshak at Portsmouth Harbour, UK in 2013

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  design of submarines

See also

• List of active Indian Navy ships
• Kilo-class submarine

External links

• Bharat Rakshak
• Global Security