Indian Navy alert to Chinese nuclear submarine threat in Indian Ocean

mangaloretoday.com

New Delhi, June 01:  Convinced that the presence of a Chinese nuclear powered attack submarine in the Indian Ocean in the last few months is part of a carefully choreographed exercise to expand its military presence in the region, senior Navy Officers have told NDTV that they don’t accept the assertion that China’s submarine deployment has been in aid of the anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia.

 

Navy Sources have told NDTV that while no Chinese nuclear submarine has been actively tracked trying to probe India’s territorial waters, there is a recognition that a great game of submarine subterfuge, a feature of the Cold War, may now be breaking out in the Indian Ocean.

A key player in this new submarine game is China’s new Type 093 Shang class fast attack nuclear submarine at least 6 of which have either been built or deployed. While not confirming whether they had profiled the noise generated by the submarine, known to be the most advanced of its class in China, Navy sources said they were impressed with the endurance of the submarine which was positioned for three months in the Indian Ocean.

They are not, however, convinced that the submarine is as silent as the latest generation of American Los Angeles Class nuclear fast attack submarines, considered by Naval analysts as a benchmark in silent operations. Reducing the sound generated underwater by submarines, whether they are nuclear or conventionally powered, is key in ensuring their survival, in an era where sonar technology and sound processing software has developed exponentially.