The Predator drone deal– the purchase of 30 of them through the US Foreign Military Sales route– is progressing and will be placed before the Defence Acquisition Council, headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, for clearance.
Speaking about the purchase of the Predators– 10 each for the Army, Navy and Air Force– the Navy vice chief, Vice Admiral SN Ghormade said “healthy discussions” were going on within the defence establishment. He said the plan to purchase torpedoes was in place, but the Blackshark torpedoes, produced by Leonardo, were not shortlisted as the ban had just been lifted and the proceedings had begun earlier. Leonardo had been banned nearly a decade earlier after reports of irregularities in the purchase of the Augusta Westland helicopters bought by India. Leonardo owns Augusta Westland.
INS Vishakhapatnam, the first of a series of destroyers for the Navy, will be commissioned in Mumbai on 21 November. Defence minister Singh will be present at the commissioning ceremony. Right after that, the submarine INS Vela, will be commissioned on November 25, also in Mumbai. The Navy chief, Admiral Karambir Singh, will be the chief guest at the function. A survey ship, the INS Sandhayak, is also on its way.
The Navy, ready for increasing threats by China and others, was growing (39 warships were being made indigenously) to have 175 vessels, as originally planned. Getting there will be somewhat delayed, the vice chief said. The building of the INS Vishakhapatnam’s three sister ships—was also slightly delayed as well. Two submarines will follow INS Vela. They will be ready by the end of 2024.
The Navy’s plans included building aircraft carriers, other surface ships and submarines, he said. The Navy was working closely with the Defence Research and Development Organisation to develop AIP or air-independent propulsion techniques for submarines, he added.
Asked about inviting more navies for Exercise Malabar, he said it had begun with India and the United States, but Japan and Australia were involved. Inviting other countries like France or Britain would depend on government clearance.
