According to a report in China’s People’s daily, India is busy in process of building a nuclear submarine of it’s own. It has reported that a top Indian scientist has revealed the Indian plan to build a nuclear submarine till 2009 and confirmed long-running rumors of the Indian secret naval project.
The people’s daily online has reported that Indian news agency Press Trust of India has published the announcement made by the former chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission last week regarding Indian plan to have a nuclear submarine in coming days.
People’s daily has reported that India has been working to have its own nuclear submarine under the code name of the Advanced Technology Vessel since 70s. The report also said that India has struggled to produce a suitable nuclear reactor since then. Indian efforts were widely reported but the government never accepted it publicly. It has also reported that India was also building an indigenous aircraft carrier.
It has also published the statement made by P.K. Iyengar, the former Atomic Energy Commission chairman saying as;
…Indian scientists and technologists are capable of making light water reactors and we are already constructing an LWR at Kalpakkam in south India for the submarine.
Scientists use light water reactors to transform the ordinary water to sustain nuclear reactions. The scientists generally use this process in nuclear-powered submarines also because of its high safety measures. The Chinese news portal also said that Iyengar later refused to comment and the Indian navy spokesman was unreachable to confirm the report.
Earlier, India had taken a Soviet Charlie-class nuclear submarine on lease for three years and used the submarine as a training vessel for its sailors. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, India never tried to extend the lease.
According to the report, the Indian-made submarine will be a 5,000 ton modified version of the Russian Charlie-II class submarine. It will be possibly inducted into the Indian navy till 2009. The nuclear submarine will be capable of launching nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.
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