The Hindu : National : Our forces can take care of security interests: Antony

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Tuesday, May 06, 2008
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Our forces can take care of security interests: Antony

Sandeep Dikshit

Chinese nuclear submarine base is a cause for security concern, says Admiral Sureesh Mehta

NEW DELHI: Reacting to reports of China building a nuclear submarine base to increase its capabilities in the South China Sea, Defence Minister A. K. Antony on Monday said the Indian armed forces were capable of taking “full care of our security interests.”

Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta said India’s concerns were the same as those of other nations in the region. What was of concern was the intense activity in the region to build nuclear submarines. India too was constructing a nuclear submarine, called Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV). It was also negotiating with Moscow for leasing two Russian nuclear submarines, the first of which could arrive next year.

Mr. Antony and Admiral Mehta were reacting to a report from London about an under-construction submarine base, which the article concludes is for nuclear submarines on the basis of a satellite imagery of a berthed Type 094 (nuclear-powered) submarine. There were also three destroyers and one frigate at the island, a short sailing distance from Taiwan.

Tunnel openings

According to images from the commercial DigitalGlobe satellite, there are 11 tunnel openings at the base, which reportedly could house up to 20 submarines, and challenge U.S. dominance of the sea lanes of communication as well as force a review of its strategy for Taiwan with whom it has welded a military alliance.

Admiral Mehta said the base was a “cause for security concern” to India. “Underground or over-ground submarines do not matter; we are concerned over the number of nuclear submarines that are being built in our neighbourhood. Nuclear submarines have long legs and can operate over long distances.”

Nuclear submarines can travel long distances underwater and, therefore, are difficult to predict where they will be prowling. In contrast, conventional diesel submarines have to come up for charging their batteries. However, some companies claimed to have perfected the air independent propulsion (AIP) system that would allow the conventional submarines to travel underwater for longer distances but not as long as nuclear submarines.

Some reports say that China has extended the range of its nuclear submarines to nearly 13,000 km. Several naval sceptics, however, have doubts about achieving that capability.

Chinese nuclear submarines are not known to patrol too far away from their coasts in contrast to the U.S., French, the U.K. and, at times, Russian submarines that are known to stray far away from their bases.

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