Editorial: India to Lease Another Nuclear Submarine From Russia

Image: Wiki Commons

By Franz-Stefan Gady

New Delhi and Moscow are slated to sign a contract in December.

The Indian Navy will lease another nuclear-powered submarine from Russia, TASS reports. The 10-year lease agreement will likely be signed at the Russian-Indian summit in December, according to a source at India’s Defense Ministry.

India’s Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar will meet Russia’s Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu next week in Moscow to discuss details.

“Parrikar will hold talks on this strategic project with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu. After the ten-year contract is signed another two or three years will be required for upgrading the submarine in keeping with India’s requirements,” the source toldTASS.

The Russian submarine likely to be handed over to the Indian Navy will be the KashalotK-322 nuclear-powered attack submarine (NATO classification Akula II-class), a ship that has served in Russia’s Pacific Fleet since early 1989 and is currently under repair.

Read the full story at The Diplomat