5470 [INDIA] INDIA'S NUCLEAR SUBMARINE PROJECT
NOTICIARIONAVAL
An IDC Analysis
India 's DRDO has been struggling with three multi billion dollar
large projects for the Army, Navy and the Air Force. These are the
Light Combat Aircraft, Main Battle tank Arjun and the Advanced
Technology Vehicle a euphemism for a Nuclear Propelled Submarine.
Asian Military Review had published the article below on India 's
Nuclear Subamrine some time ago. The subject has been kept under wraps
in India but from time to time the Indian media refers to this
project. Recently Huma Siddique in Finanacial Express had written a
path breaking story of contracts of ATV having been bagged by Larsen
and Tubro, the same engineering firm that made the stabilisation
platform for the Indian Navy's DHANUSH missile which DRDO was unable
to accomplish.
India 's Nuclear Submarine Project --- The ATV Must Succeed
(Courtesy: Asian Military Review)
One of India 's most ambitious scientific programmes kept "Close to
the Chest" although pursued since the mid 1970's, has been its Nuclear
Submarine Programme (ATV) - the Advanced Technology Vehicle. As of
now, the project has progressed haltingly, but the Navy is determined
to make it succeed. Ashley Tellis of Rand was given access to all
those involved in India 's nuclear quest and he summarises, "Over the
years, the objective of developing a nuclear submarine appears to have
changed as well. Although originally intended as an attack boat
capable of stalking superpower fleets operating in the Indian Ocean,
the vessel now appears more likely to serve as a cruise or ballistic
missile carrier that could one day be armed with small nuclear
payloads."
A large planning and design office at the Central Government Office
Complex in the heart of New Delhi , directs the programme under
Director General Vice Admiral R Ganesh recently retired and reemployed
at a Secretary level. He was the first Commanding Officer of INS
Chakra and took over from VADM B Bhushan. Electrical Engineer Vice
Admiral P Jaitly is the Project Director. He recently took over from
VADM P C Bhasin who gave the project a boost and is now the Chief of
Material at NHQ. There are six Rear Admiral rank officers who direct
the programme, while two technical Rear Admirals head the two large
manufacturing complexes. One is at Hyderabad to collaborate with DRDO
labs - BHEL for the heat exchanger propulsion system, and MIDHANI for
special steel requirements. The second is the large Ship Building
Facility tucked behind high walls and barbed wires, with a dry dock
and boilers , at Vishakapatnam, where the hull is being constructed.
The Soviet assistance has been substantial by way of parts and inputs,
but the critical nuclear reactor design has been steered since 1975 by
Bharat Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Mumbai, which manufactures and
stores India 's Atomic and Hydrogen bombs. The ATV has a small complex
at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Kalpakkam near Chennai. It
is here that the (approximately) 100-MW pressure water reactor has
been tested. This will eventually be sealed into a 600-ton titanium
shell of about 10 metres in diameter that will be lowered into the
6000-ton boat in what will be a critical operation. As an Indian
nuclear boat Captain says, the submarine operation is an operation
like on any other boat, except it is imperative that the key members
have to learn to operate the nuclear power plant controls and each
crew member has to be aware of all the possible emergencies that can
take place in the ensconced nuclear reactor.
To support the project, universities and commercial firms have been
employed on an ad hoc basis, including the well-equipped Naval Design
Directorate in New Delhi where Russian specialists visit on a regular
basis for other Naval projects. Those publicly known for their
participation are Larsen and Toubro Ltd for the reactor modules,
Mazagaon Docks for the propulsion systems modules, Bharat Electronics
for the sensors and Tata Consultancy for Command and Control.
The cloak of secrecy is slowly lifting, and this analytical article is
a result of media reports. The Prime Minister is the head of the
Steering and Funding Committee of the project that is monitored by the
Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister and the DRDO head, Dr V K
Aatre, the Canadian-trained sonar scientist. The former CNS Admiral
Vishnu Bhagwat asked for an audit, but was unceremoniously removed on
30 December 1998 for discussing ATV matters among other contentious
issues.
As early as mid 1996, the media reported that $285.7 million had been
spent to develop the ATV. Analysts have estimated that the submarine
to be launched by the year 2007 would require an additional $714.3
million. The Navy has built a Soviet-designed facility - the Special
Safety Service at Vishakapatnam that can monitor the health of the
people working on the submarine and the radiation leaks emanating from
the submarine. It is reported that the DRDO has received design
assistance from Rubin, engineers and defence workers of the former
Soviet Union . India has confidential agreements with Russia on
Defence collaboration and National Security Advisers meet regularly to
review issues.
It is now common knowledge that since 1971, the Indian
scientists were attempting to produce a compact nuclear power plant
(reactor) design suitable for use at sea. Captain Kotta Subba Rao,
under the guidance of Drs. Ramanna, Srinivasan, and Iyengar (the
stalwarts who steered India 's nuclear programmes) had been trying
since 1975 to design and build a submarine reactor at BARC. Of the
three reactor designs evaluated, the first was rejected in late 1976
the second in 1979 and the third in 1981. Captain Subba Rao left the
Navy but he was apprehended carrying his design to the USA and was
imprisoned for 20 months. He was finally found innocent as it was
proved that he had presented this design, which had been previously
cleared, as a thesis for his Doctorate.
BARC envisaged uranium enrichment facilities employing centrifuge
technology. Eric Arnett and some observers have speculated that the
purpose of the nuclear submarine program "is intended to provide an
invulnerable launching platform for nuclear weapons." The US Naval War
College - trained Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Madhavendra Singh who
is member of the ATV Board in a press interview in early 2002, claimed
that the Indian Navy would have nuclear strike capability. Such
statements are not made without Government clearances.
Arnett makes another observation concerning the early nature of the
programme. "The history and implications of the SSN for Indian
maritime strategy suggest that the US presence in the Indian Ocean was
a strong motivation for the SSN programme." He is correct in his
observation because India vehemently objected to the US presence in
the Indian Ocean , while USA has always been of the belief that its
benign Naval presence in the region contributes to stability and
security, and fosters trade. The US is now looking at the Indian Navy
to help patrol sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean and the Government has
given Cabinet approval to the Navy to study escorting details. India
is leaning towards more cooperation with USA following the events of
11 September, as it hesitatingly sheds its non-aligned socialist
stance. India 's draft nuclear doctrine recommends a " No First Use".
Hence for deterrence, a retaliatory strike weapon from the sea towards
Pakistan is appreciated as the primary purpose of the nuclear
submarine programme. And in the long run, to serve as a deterrent to
China .
The Defence Minister George Fernandes had referred to China as threat
Number One in 1998 soon after the Shakti nuclear blasts. The PM
declared India was a nuclear weapon state. An analyst at the Canadian
Institute for International Peace and Security (CIIPS) has noted:
"Analysis of India's defence priorities in the Indian Ocean points to
a long-term strategy of meeting a potential Chinese incursion into the
Indian Ocean at the key check points in the east - the Strait of
Malacca ". An assessment of India 's current maritime force structure
of three Carrier Navy reveals that New Delhi is seeking to attain a
sea-denial capability in the Indian Ocean region and the nuclear
submarine project is vital to achieving this end.
Background of ATV
The then Defence Minister K Venkataraman in 1983 and Dr Raja Ramana
the former Director of BARC and architect of India's 1974 nuclear
bomb, selected Vice Admiral M K Roy (former DNI), his flat mate in
London during college days, to head the ATV project in Delhi. Indian
officials were looking for a design that could offer a chance to learn
the production and operating skills relevant to nuclear-powered
submarines. The Type-209 design offered by the West German company HDW
met some of these criteria. In 1981 HDW won the order for four plus
two boats, based on a 'stretched' and heavier version of the Gabler
IKL design weighing 1500 tonnes (designated Type-1500). West Germany
gained an advantage in negotiations by offering the new generation of
SUT B wire guided torpedoes supplied by the German company AEG.
Allegations of commissions surfaced to derail the follow-on project
and recently Indian has finalised the order for six Scorpenes on
DCN.
The Indian Navy leased and operated INS Chakra successfully from 1988
to 1991 and fired its first underwater- launched SSM. The initial
design strategy for the ATV was to copy the leased Charlie II with an
Indian built nuclear reactor for propulsion. The Russians provided
detailed drawing of the leased submarine minus the reactor design, as
that would have violated the NPT. HY-80 steel was chosen for the
construction of the submarine pressure hull and much experience was
gained under the direction of Dr. P.C. Deb, Director, Naval Chemical
and Metallurgical Laboratory to overcome welding problems. In late
December 1995 it was reported that DRDO had made considerable progress
in the fabrication of the pre-test capsule (PTC) of titanium steel
fabricated in 1994 at Hazira in Gujarat . From there it was
transported to Kalpakkam. The submarine hull is finally to be covered
with rubber acoustic tiles to help reduce its signature.
For the PWR reactor, the Indian scientists had access to the West
German reactor used on the Otto Hahn and the Soviet reactor used on
the Lenin. Indian sources mention information about a Japanese naval
nuclear reactor (Mutsu) and its suitability for use in a submarine.
Most PWR fuel is uranium-aluminium dispersed fuel (cermet) in steel or
zirconium cladding. Indian scientists from BARC and the Indian
Institute of Technology have published a number of recent papers
describing the uranium-aluminium and uranium-zirconium phases. Both
Apsara and Zerlina are known to have used medium enriched uranium.
Aluminium clad uranium fuel elements are also in use in both the Cirus
and Dhruva reactors. Experience gained in the fabrication of these
fuel elements would be invaluable in the design of submarine plate
type fuel elements. The steam turbine design and test facilities for
use with the nuclear reactor have been set up at Vishakapatnam. In
July of 1996, All India Radio reported - " India has successfully
developed a nuclear-powered submarine reactor for the navy. The
submarine named the Advanced Technology Vehicle was tested
successfully somewhere in the East coast recently."
The challenges faced for the design of certain safety features in
submarine nuclear reactors is the design of the control rod insertion
and withdrawal mechanism. This may have been responsible for the
radiation leaks aboard the leased Soviet submarine which lead to the
reported death of at least one Indian scientist. It is known that
India tried to buy a rod worth minimizer ((RWM) used by reactor
operators to guide and monitor the proper sequences for the withdrawal
and insertion of control rods. The control rod technology for use with
the rod worth minimizer has now been developed by India .
Communications and Weapon Systems:
The VLF communication facility Project Skylark was commissioned by
1988 with US assistance for signals to penetrate seawater to a depth
of 8-10 meters. The work in this area is being carried out by the
National Institute of Oceanography, Goa , the Indian Institute of
Technology, Madras and Bangalore , and the Defence Electronics
Applications Laboratory, Dehra Dun (also known as the Instruments
Research and Development Establishment). Actual electromagnetic pulse
studies (EMP) are conducted at the Department of High Voltage
Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology , Bangalore . Additional
support is provided by the Electronics and Radar Development
Establishment, Bangalore , Research Centre Imarat, Hyderabad , and the
Electronics Research and Development Centre, Calcutta . An article
published in January 1993, by researchers from the Defence Electronics
Applications Laboratory, Dehradun reviewed the area of submarine
communications and stated - "In the near future, the blue-green laser
is going to be the vital means of sending large information to a
submarine operating much deeper (500-700 m) with unrestricted speed.
The weapon system Sagarika has been mentioned by the media as a
submarine launched cruise or ballistic missile with a range of over
300 km and as per details in the Asian Defence Journal (5/95): "India
is testing scale models of a submarine-launched ballistic missile
(SLBM) Sagarika in wind tunnels at the Aeronautical Defence
Establishment (ADE), a part of DRDO. The project initiated about three
years ago (1992), is aimed at building a SLBM that will be carried on
India 's indigenous nuclear submarine. This is a very complex process
that involves the development of an optimum surface design of the
missile to counter the airflow. Indian engineers are now trying to
develop an engine and a guidance system for the cruise missile." It is
therefore interesting to note that in early 2002 the Indian Navy, DRDO
and Larsen and Toubro successfully launched the 200km SSM Dhanush
from the OPV Subhadra (P51) and the trials are on going. The work on
these systems is being carried at the Defence Research and Development
Laboratory (DRDL), Hyderabad and the Research Centre, and the
Aeronautical Defence Establishment located at Bangalore . Development
of a submarine launched ballistic missile is a very complicated
undertaking. Among the major problems associated with such a system
are the effects of water in the nozzle on motor ignition. This effect
caused the failure of two of three flights of the US Trident II
missile and UK has been debating the safety factors in the Drell
report. Maraging steel components for missile projects are produced at
Mishra Dhatu Nigam Ltd., Midhani or at its Hindustan 's Aerospace
Division located in Bangalore and by Godrej Aerospace drawing on the
vast experience of ISRO. The aluminium alloy components are being
manufactured by the Bharat Aluminium Company. It has been reported
that computer aided warship design and stability studies are being
carried out at the Institute of Armament Technology , Pune, with
related signature analysis work carried out at the Naval Science and
Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam .
Conclusion
The Indian Government has given the go ahead for a Nuclear Command
under the CDS.Experts have opined that the present Indian nuclear
strategy would have to place a greater emphasis on 'second strike'
capability to ensure deterrence. Such a potential would probably not
suffice if it were restricted to the Indian landmass with mobile AGNI
missiles or aerial delivery, even if TU 22Ms and SU 30 MKI are
inducted. The need to analyse this in greater depth for projection of
power from movable platforms has to be emphasised. To give credence to
India's nuclear war fighting structure that is yet to be formulated,
will also depend on the 'will' of the leadership to pursue a given
strategy. India will have to demonstrate a potential to survive a pre-
emptive attack. This would necessitate a policy to provide a visible
survival capability to the civilian population and industrial units
like the 12 million ton Reliance Refinery at Jamnagar , that lies in
the proximity of her borders. Additionally this would entail much
larger expenditures on damage limitation infrastructure .The sea leg
of the triad appears attractive and offers the best bang for the big
bucks that the Indian Naval planners are spending on the ATV, which
must succeed.