잠수함 인도, SSN 2척 건조 계획 승인

[위종민]

인도가 10월 10일 SSN 2척 건조 계획을 승인했습니다. 4,500억 루피(54억 달러) 가량의 비용이 들 것으로 추정되고, 현재 건조중인 아리한트급 SSBN과는 별개의 SSN이라고 합니다. 

India prepares to build two nuclear-powered attack submarines | Reuters

India prepares to build two nuclear-powered attack submarines

By Reuters

October 10, 20244:35 PM GMT+9Updated 12 days ago

NEW DELHI, Oct 10 (Reuters) - India approved on Wednesday plans to construct two of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, two defence officials said, in a project estimated to cost about 450 billion rupees ($5.4 billion).

As India scrambles to modernise its military in the face of China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean region, it is focusing on boosting naval capabilities, and improving domestic weapons-making capacity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet gave the go-ahead for the first two submarines of a new class of six the Indian Navy plans to make, the officials added, speaking on condition of anonymity, but stopped short of providing delivery dates.

China, the world's largest naval force, with more than 370 ships, has been a security concern for India since ties nosedived in 2020 after 24 troops died in clashes along their Himalayan frontier.

Faster, quieter and capable of longer underwater stays than conventional diesel-powered craft, which makes them more difficult to detect, nuclear-powered attack submarines rank among the most potent naval weapons in the world.

Only a handful of nations make them now, such as China, France, Russia and the United States.

India, which leased two nuclear-powered attack submarines from Russia in the past but since returned them, has been in talks with it to lease another.

The new submarines will be built at the government's shipbuilding centre in India's southern port of Visakhapatnam.

Construction major Larsen and Toubro (LART.NS), opens new tab is also expected to join the project, one of the sources added.

They will be different from the Arihant-class nuclear-powered submarines India is now building, capable of launching nuclear weapons, the second of which was commissioned in August.

($1=83.9625 Indian rupees)