The flavor of the week? India!

[Jack Ray]

They may want the Kitty Hawk, but India is building its own SSBN.

India Test Fires Under-Sea Missile Today
By Press Trust Of India
Hindustan Times
February 26, 2008

NEW DELHI--India is set to test fire its first-ever under sea ballistic missile at a place ten kilometre from Visakhapatnam and join a select band of five countries equipped with the technology of nuclear deterrence.

The missile K-15, with a range of 700-km, would be test fired from a pontoon immersed in the sea as India does not have a submarine for such an exercise, official sources in New Delhi said on Monday night.

Chief Controller of the Defence Research and Development S Prahlada had said recently that DRDO would need just one test to ratify the missile systems and the parameters which would form the main armament of the country's indigenous nuclear submarine expected to enter sea trials late next year.

If the test fire is successful, India would join a handful of countries the US, Russia, France and China to possess such a capability and it would considerably enhance the country's nuclear deterrence as sea-launched missiles will form crucial part of the country's second strike nuclear capability.

Prahlada had said DRDO had almost perfected the dry-run trials on the key missile and it would be integrated with the advanced technology vehicle.

[chuck]

They may want the Kitty Hawk, but India is building its own SSBN.

India Test Fires Under-Sea Missile Today
By Press Trust Of India
Hindustan Times
February 26, 2008

NEW DELHI--.......
If the test fire is successful, India would join a handful of countries the US, Russia, France and China to possess such a capability and it would considerably enhance the country's nuclear deterrence as sea-launched missiles will form crucial part of the country's second strike nuclear capability........

In their eagerness to gloat over the trivial and pretend they become one of the big boys, they seem to have forgotten the UK. UK's entire nuclear deterrence is on board SSBNs.

It is also not clear which major, nuclear-strike-worthy adversary India can seriously threaten with a 700km missile launched presumably from a patrol area in the Indian ocean. If India actually needs a survivable, submarine based nuclear deterrence against Pakistan, then that would pretty much mean huge India has completely lost the geopolitical contest against relatively tiny Pakistan, big time.

[JWintjes]

I wonder whether that may rather be aimed at China. Of course, with a 700km missile you can't do a lot from the Indian sea, but then this might just be the starting point for the development of something more suitable.

On another notion, I find it perfectly plausible that someone high up the military or political command chain thought "Hey, these things are cool, they are way strategic, the Chinese have them and the Pakis don't, so we have to have some."

Jorit

[bocME262]

I would agree that China is the object of deterence. 700km is plenty to reach many of China's major cities with a sub located in the East China Sea. Additionally, I don't think they'll stop at 700km.

Greg