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 The
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sureesh Mehta, a seasoned sea
going 'Top Gun' aircraft carrier pilot made inferences in
his Navy Day press conference on 3rd December, "as to
where India's relations with Russia were heading". These
sentiments in connection with India-Russia defence contracts
bordering on the political, were lapped up by the media and
splashed all over. Indians should to be warned that India's
recent love affair with USA is still in its honey moon phase,
with the first discord showing up in the 123 Nuclear deal
debate now experiencing choppy seas, in and out of India's
Parliament. PM Dr Manmohan Singh is fighting an uphill battle
he has wowed to win, and it must be giving him many sleepless
nights in bed. PM's recent brief visit to Moscow has also
raised controversy, as many in opposition believe that India
could have signed for two more Koondukulum nuclear reactors,
and then gone to the IAEA and NSG for the safe guards and
conditions, but PM chose not to. The Russian and Indian media
reports have substantiated this, but Dr Manmohan Singh has
claimed it would have been improper to proceed at this juncture
of the deal. It is hoped this move was not a deliberate ploy
to strengthen Dr Singh's hand to convince the 'Naysayers'
to the 123 deal to claim that without the deal, even Russia,
India's trusted friend which has seen India through many 'downs'
will not supply safe guarded reactors. It is known that during
the Kargil war in time of India's needs for military spares
President Putin had put Russia's inventory at India's disposal.
It
is also well known that the 123 deal and some connected nuclear
supplies for reactors, and nuclear submarine issues have been
under discussion since President Putin visited India for the
Republic day parade in January. This year the Chief of Naval
Staff also made public for the first time, that India's nuclear
submarine project being progressed by DRDO for the last 20
years under the misnomer ATV, Advanced Technology Vehicle
will be ready in the next two years, and an Akula from Russia
will join the Fleet to train Indian nuclear submariners, just
like the INS Chakra did from 1987 to 91 from Vishakapatnam,
where the ATV is being constructed. DRDO chief M Natarajan
has also confirmed the trials of an under water launched missile
are progressing well, to arm submarines with this innovation,
which could form India's Triad. The Navy Chief also confirmed
that the Navy had 33 small and large warships and 6 Scorpene
submarines on order, and another line of submarines, long
range maritime aircraft and ASW helicopters are in the pipeline.
The spot light has recently therefore turned on to the Indian
Navy.
 Admittedly
Indian Navy's leadership with Government support has scripted
one of the most ambitious and challenging ship building programmes
in the developed world, and is the envy of many nations, at
a time when steel, labour, cabling and weapons system costs
world wide, are escalating. India and Russia whose economies
have surged can not be isolated from this trend. World economy
has also fuelled one of the best times in shipping trade,
the world has experienced in decades. Nations with warship
building assets have become victims of this escalation phenomenon,
and US Navy has had to cancel some of its latest Littoral
Combat Ships on order, and scale down its ambitions. US Navy
has scaled down its 600 ship Navy target, as has the Royal
Navy. Admiral Mike Mullen former US Navy CNO who visited India
earlier this year, and now Chairman JCS therefore proposed
a cooperative 1000 ship Navy and considers Indian Navy incorporated,
after the successful advanced five nation Malabar-07 exercises
in the Bay of Bengal in September.
With
this background it is no surprise Russia has raised the price
of completing and modifying the Gorshkov( INS Vikramaditya)
as per Indian Navy's required specifications and mixed weapon
fits which according to the Russian stance were not clearly
spelt out when the contract was hurriedly signed by RM Defence
Minister George Fernandes after years of somnolence. Modifications
cost any ship builder if not catered for in the initial stages.In
India shipyards also face the same issues but charge the customer
as most warship contracts are cost plus.
 MOD's
yards are over due for capacity and capability enhancement
and India's domestic warship building capacity under MOD is
inadequate for Navy's current ambitious programme. The other
two shipyards under Ministry of Shipping, Hindustan Shipyard
Ltd and Cochin Shipyard Ltd which has the order for the delayed
indigenous aircraft carrier, are flush with merchant ship
orders. They have not even bid for the Navy's tanker and the
order is likely to go to Fincanteiri of Italy. The Navy's
entire large warship building programmes are in the hands
of and the procedures are controlled by, a Joint Secretary
in the Defence production wing. The dilatory procedure is
antiquated, erratic and inadequate, with inadequate powers
in the hands of the Chairmen of the MOD shipyards or the customer,
in this case the Navy which has a recommendatory role. It
has therefore become customary to issue letters of intent
for ships on yards and begin price negotiations as soon as
a design is ready, with out finalizing the many weapon and
other critical fits. This appears to have happened in the
case of the Gorshkov and this despite an Indian team supervising
the refit at Sevrmash yard where the CMD has been sacked.
The ultimate escalated tab is borne by the Navy and the nation.
In the case of INS Vikramaditya(Gorshkov) the time consuming
and very important cabling contract which is the starting
block in any modification to suit the revised weapon and equipment
fits, has run in to trouble and has been inordinately delayed
by nearly 2 years and escalated.
However
this impasse on the escalation in the cost of Gorshkov should
not be a reason to down play our defence relations and inter
twining with a time tested ally like Russia, which is now
in a resurgent mood with a healthy economy and a revived military.
India has too many of its security eggs in the Russian basket,
and they cannot be down played. President Putin's party's
resounding victory in the elections gives his Government more
muscle to tackle larger issues, unlike India where the coalition
partners tend behave as adversaries at times. It will be prudent
for both negotiating parties to sit down and work things out
but more important both countries have to see to new methods
of negotiating contracts and speedily implementing them with
out rancour. As the CNS confirmed the Navy needs the Gorshkov
and a mere Gorshkov should not sour India's defence relations
with Russia.
Cmde
Ranjit B Rai
C 443 Defence Colony ND- 24
Ph: 24330087
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