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The sonar beam gets deflected like light in a
prism, called ‘refraction’ or the ‘Layer Challenge’
by Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) officers. Submarines
have therefore dominated the arena of detection
and counter-detection of ships and submarines
with many advantages, operating under water.
Designed to be extremely silent, a submerged
submarine can loiter under water for days especially
nuclear submarines, scouring the seas safely through
long-range passive sonar signals, and easily detect
the presence of other submarines and warships
in the vicinity. In fact, passive sonar detection
is the life line of submarine navigation under
water, and is crucial for surfacing safely to
periscope depth to sight the surroundings for
a navigational or GPS fix, and take a radar picture.
On 6 Oct 2005, French Ambassador to India Dominique
Girard and Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Additional
Secretary D Banerjee signed the long awaited Project
75 contract for six Scorpene submarines worth
over $ 3.6 bill in the presence of then Chief
of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash.
The Cost of the two contracts signed with the
two French firms, M/s Armaris and MBDA for missiles,
for the project was Rs. 7,197 crores and with
Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), for Rs. 5,888 crores
for the indigenous construction of the submarines
which included imports. Funds towards taxes were
catered for separately and Rs. 2,160 crores were
allocated towards other engineering items to be
acquired during the project period for which only
preliminary steps were taken. That led to rough
weather and cost overruns. The French Spanish
combine Armaris (since wound up) which negotiated
the contract, uncorked the Champagne.
The Indian Navy Design Directorate also felt
elated that their design inputs had been incorporated.
The deal includes an option for 6 more submarines
in its present form which DCNS is pressing for.
The MESMA air independent propulsion (AIP) is
an option, but it may be considered only for the
last two of the six boats.
Since World War II, torpedoes are considered
lethal ‘one shot weapons’ and in the 1971 war,
Pakistan Navy’s Hangor sank INS Khukri on Dec
8, and 178 souls in white lost their lives off
the waters off Diu. Appropriately, the Indian
Navy is now adequate attention to both aircraft
carriers and submarine capabilities.
The main armament of modern SSN and conventional
submarines are their missiles and torpedoes which
are launched stealthily from underwater for land
and surface targets and also wire guided wake
homing torpedoes. They are launched from the same
tubes to home onto and destroy hostile submarines
and ships that have been located by sonars.
The Indian Navy chose the SM 39 Exocet MBDA anti-ship
and land attack missiles with the Scorpene contract
though the block number of the Exocets chosen
has not been disclosed. Marwan Lahoud, CEO, MBDA,
then stated: “This contract marks another significant
step in MBDA’s long-term strategy to develop and
strengthen solid cooperation with its major international
partners. MBDA welcomes this new building block
in a relationship which has already such strong
foundations and which we will continue to grow.”
MBDA has long had links with Bharat Dynamics
Ltd, India’s missile maker with the Milan anti-tank
missile, but the choice of the torpedo for the
Scorpenes has been pending, and time is nearing
for the announcement of selection to enable the
shipyard to fit the circuitry in the submarines
at Mazagon Docks Ltd. Though the torpedoes like
the missiles will arrive only in 2014-15 when
the first boat proceeds for sea trials, the choice
and drawings for construction will be needed by
the ship builder well in advance, in this case
MDL.
The nick name SSK is for ‘Submerged Submarine
Killer’ and is given to submarines. The Indian
Navy has nine aging Sindhughosh (Kilo) class SSKs
and four HDW-IKL-1500 Shishumar class SSK boats.
The torpedoes for ship and submarine targeting
are the heavy weight torpedoes.
Torpedos have proximity fuses.
Today, the latest hi-tech torpedoes are wire
guided like the German AEG SUT-266 HWT on the
Shishumar class submarines. In recent years an
additional type of torpedoes have entered the
market called the ‘Wake Homing Torpedoes’ with
contra-rotating direct-drive brushless motors
driven by powerful Al-Ago batteries at over 40knots.
These torpedoes approach from the stern of the
target by using the wake and noise information
and have the capability to attack in salvos. Upon
detection of its target, the semi intelligent
computer controlled torpedo can make use of its
large variety of sensors and computer logic to
set up very effective homing procedures which
are also designed to nullify torpedo countermeasures.
The Finmeccanica owned company Whitehead Alenia
Sistemi Subacquei (WASS) and Atlas Elektronik
of Germany have been engaged in a fierce technical
and commercial rivalry in a so-called ‘torpedo
battle’ in the international markets, including
India, to arm submarines.
THE COMPETITION FOR SCORPENES
All torpedo tubes are of common size called 21
Inch (533mm) and Atlas Elektronik has the DM2A4
Seahake from Germany and WASS from Italy has the
Blackshark IF21 which Malaysia has chosen for
its first Scorpene Tungku Abdul Rahman which called
at Cochin en route to Lumut early in September
2010. The Indian Navy exchanged notes.
The Scorpene comes with the SUBTICS integrated
combat system, supplied by UDS, a highly computerised
central management system, which oversees all
of the submarine’s sensors and weapons and drawings
come with Blackshark compatibility.
While Atlas Electronix which have upgraded the
Indian Navy’s Shishumar class and supplied the
SUT-B wire guided torpedoes which have proved
very successful, claims that it can provide the
expertise through UDS if decisions are taken soon,
and not made ‘fait accompli’ for the Blackshark,
as time elapses. There will be a requirement for
around 100 torpedoes for the submarines and could
cost could touch around $ 700 mill.
The Black SharkIF21 was developed by DCN and
(WASS) Italy and incorporates a new Advanced Sonar
Transmitting and Receiving Architecture (ASTRA)
active/passive acoustic homing head; an updated
guidance-and-control section; a fibre-optic guidance
link and spool; a new electric motor; and a skewed
contra-rotating propeller.
Atlas Electronik has a different technology for
the heavy weight torpedo. The Seahake Mod 4, an
export version of DM2A4, is a dual purpose torpedo
against submarines and ships with full digitization
of torpedo guidance and homing, target tracking,
attitude control, sensors, a fiber optic communication/guidance
wire, a digital strap-down system with fibre optic
gyros for precision navigation and powered by
a 300 kW high-frequency permanent magnet electric
motor.
Both are new generation, long-range, stealth,
wire guided torpedoes featuring electrical propulsion
system and a fiber optic cable for torpedo guidance.
The Blackshark has life of 20 Yrs. The DM2 A4
SeaHawke has longer service life and it was the
last known heavyweight torpedo that was fired
was by SSN HMS Conqueror to sink the Belgrano,
a quarter of a century ago, in the Falklands war.
Notwithstanding, new submarines are still being
ordered, boats in service are still being upgraded,
and the heavyweight torpedo remains the main hard-kill
weapon for a submarine’s offensive operations
and self-defence.
Western naval warships have light weight torpedoes
for anti submarine operations but Russian warships
and submarines have heavy weight anti ship torpedoes,
which are however not compatible with the Scorpenes.
Indications are that the Blackshark has been shortlisted
as the Indian Navy’s choice.
The Italian Navy maintains a high technology
laden underwater fleet of submarines and possess
the Torado class U212 submarines built under license
from HDW with fuel cell Air Independent Propulsion
(AIP), and Indian Navy is also in the hunt for
AIP.
The Italian Sauro class submarines are being
upgraded with sonar and command control system
having interoperability with U212As. The Torado
class in Italy has been designed to fire Italian
A184 mod3 and SeaHawke, in preference of the Italian
IF21 BlackShark from WASS.
India’s DRDO at NSTL has produced a heavy weight
torpedo called the Varunashtra and a light weight
torpedo (LWT) for ships and helicopters.
The Indian Navy’s Boeing P8-I maritime reconnaissance
(MR) aircraft will be equipped with the light
weight Lockheed Martin’s Mk 54 air launched torpedoes.
The decision for the fitment of the torpedo in
the Scorpenes is vital and imminent.
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