Operating a SSN is not easy

Indian crew has not yet absorbed all the knowledge needed to operate the INS Chakra on its own

The Indian Navy should have received your nuclear attack submarine (SSN) Akula II of Russia four months ago, but problems arose in the path. Baptized under the name of Nerpa, the SSN was leased to India for ten years.

The Indian crew, after more than a year of intense training, have not been fully able to operate the submarine on its own. And it should be for the next six months. The Russians were partly to blame for being responsible for training and because they made several internal changes.

The other part of the blame fell to the Indians, who underestimated the challenge and were unable to absorb all the knowledge on the difficulties of operating a modern nuclear submarine. An Akula II requires a crew of 73 highly skilled men and about one hundred Indians are in training. Added to this the fact the sailors Indian experts in nuclear submarines are all retired (between 1988 and 1991 India operated a submarine class Charlie rented the USSR).

The Nerpa was completed thanks to funds from India and was accepted by the Russian Navy in December of last year. India should take control of the submarine in May, but delays occurred. Much of this delay has been caused the accident that fatally killed 20 men aboard. The origin of the accident was the poor quality of design and construction of security systems. Afraid of the submarine, much of the shipyard employees were afraid to return to the sea with the ship and the sea trials were delayed even after the repairs. When new vessels are suffering casualties on board the fame they get unlucky. Sailors are very superstitious.

Renamed INS Chakra (same name used by Charlie leased in 1988), repairs at the former Serpa cost 65 million dollars. Now India pays something like $ 178,000 per day to have the submarine. India had the necessary financial resources to take the Russian shipbuilding industry of ostracism after the collapse of the USSR. Thus it was that Russia could complete the construction of two Akula class submarines, whose works were on hold since the collapse of the USSR.

India is working on developing and building its own nuclear-powered submarine, but the first unit is only a platform for development and testing. The large-scale production of submarines naconais should happen within five or ten years. The Chakra will fulfill the mission to train and adapt the Indian seamen in the process of driving, maintenance and repair of nuclear submarines in modern construction.