Sindhughosh-class submarines are diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy. Their names are in Sanskrit, but in their Roman-alphabet forms sometimes a final short -a is dropped.
The Sindhughosh submarines, designated 877EKM, were designed as part of Project 877, and built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Ministry of Defence (India).
The submarines have a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, top speed of 18 knots, and are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of 53. The final unit was the first to be equipped with the 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27) antiship cruise missiles with a range of 220 km.
INS Sindhuvijay has been upgraded with the hydro acoustical USHUS complex and the CCS-MK radio communications system.[1] On 29 August 2014 DAC cleared the long-awaited mid-life upgrade of the four Kilo-class submarines, which would be carried out in Indian shipyards and is likely to cost Rs. 4,800 crore (4,800 million).[2] On 5 November 2014 official sources at HSL said more than 90% of the work has been completed on the seventh submarine of the Sindhughosh class INS Sindhukirti.[3] Scheduled to re-join the fleet on 31 March 2015, she re-entered service on 23 May.[4] [5]
The Indian Navy signed a contract with the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to refit and upgrade the existing submarines and to extend their operational life by 35 years. The first submarine, INS Sindhukesari, will be sent for refit starting June 2016. The extensive refit, the value for which is pegged at Rs 5,000 crore for a total of four submarines, will not only extend the life of the boats but will also upgrade their combat potential and fitted with Klub land attack cruise missile.[6] [7]
In 2015, the naval exercise Malabar, between the navies of India and the United States, involved and hunting each other. India Today reported that Sindhudhvaj managed to track Corpus Christi and score a simulated kill without being detected.[8]
In December 2015, L&T was chosen by the Russian shipbuilder Sevmash to be its Indian partner in the refit project. While the first of the four Kilo class subs will go to the Russian Zvezdochka shipyard for inspection and refit, the remaining three are likely to be modernized at the Kattupalli shipyard. The first of the submarines to be modernized at private yard, a first for India, will go in by 2017, An order for 2-3 more submarines could also be commissioned, depending on ongoing acquisition plans of the Indian Navy.[9] [10] [11]
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Homeport | Commission date | Decommission date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S55 | Sevmash, Severodvinsk | Mumbai | 30 April 1986 | Refitted to project 08773 2002-2005 at Zvezdochka shipyard | ||
| S56 | 12 June 1987 | 16 July 2022 | Decommissioned; being scrapped[17] | |||
| S57 | 20 October 1987 | Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard. | ||||
| S58 | 26 August 1988 | March 2020 | Refit at Hindustan Shipyard completed. Transferred to Myanmar Navy in March 2020.[18] | |||
| S59 | 22 December 1988 | Refitted to project 08773 2001-2003 at Zvezdochka shipyard | ||||
| S60 | Vishakhapatnam | 16 February 1989 | Refitted under project 08773 at Zvezdochka shipyard. | |||
| S61 | 4 January 1990 | Refitted to project 08773 from 2007-2015 in her home base Vishakhapatnam | ||||
| S62 | 18 March 1991 | Refitted to project 08773 2005-2007 at Zvezdochka shipyard | ||||
| S63 | Mumbai | 24 December 1997 | 5 September 2017 | Refitted to project 08773 09.08.2010-2012 at Zvezdochka shipyard. Exploded and sank in Mumbai 14 August 2013 | ||
| S65 | Vishakhapatnam | 19 July 2000 | To be Refitted to project 08773 |