Submarine to Test New Missile

A new nuclear submarine will be ready to test the next generation of intercontinental missiles this year, a military shipbuilding spokesman said Tuesday.

The Yury Dolgoruky, the first of the country's new Borei class of submarines, has yet to fire the Bulava missile it was made to carry because of numerous failures during testing.

"By the beginning of the navigation season, all ships will be ready to carry out tests of the Bulava," said Alexander Kholodov, a representative of submarine-building shipyard Sevmash.


"This refers above all to the submarines Dmitry Donskoi and Yury Dolgoruky," he said.


The Dmitry Donskoi is an older Akula-class vessel used for previous Bulava tests while Borei-class submarines were undergoing testing.

The Bulava was designed to be carried on submarines like the Yury Dolgoruky, but repeated failures of the missile during tests have called the costly project into question.

The submarine's entry into service, carrying the Bulava, will be a major step forward for the military, which hopes to use rising oil revenues to increase its clout.

exacerbates nuclear woes

India conducted its first ‘peaceful’ nuclear test explosion, dubbing the operation ‘Smiling Buddha.’ But Buddha himself would at best have smiled sardonically at seeing his name tied to such an experiment.

After the test, India vowed never to weaponise its nuclear assets, a pledge that seems to have gone unheeded.

A decade later, the country again set out to test its nuclear capabilities in the Operation Shakti tests - five nuclear tests conducted over three days. Pakistan soon followed suit. It has long been clear that India intended to go back on its non-nuclear weapon pledge. Indeed, an early indication was the commencement of the construction of a nuclear submarine after the 1974 nuclear test. Nuclear drills, meanwhile, were reportedly being taught to every Indian naval officer as early as the 1950s by officials from the Bharat Atomic Energy Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, where India converts fissile material into nuclear weapon cores.

In 1976, Dr Homi Nusserwanji Sethna, the chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy Commission at the time, created the Diesel Propulsion Research Team (DPRT), an apparent subterfuge for designing a nuclear propulsion plant for India’s first nuclear submarine. A team of four naval officers led by Indian Navy Capt. PN Agarwala and Capt. Bharat Bhusan were inducted into the DPRT.

Many Indian Naval officers at the time were also trained in nuclear engineering at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and subsequently transferred to the Defence Research and Development Organisation’s classified nuclear submarine project, which was called the Advance Technology Vehicle (ATV).

plan to buy old German U-boats

Navy chief Kamthorn Phumhiran is insisting on pushing ahead with the plan to procure six second-hand submarines from Germany, dismissing the other option of buying brand-new South Korean ones as being too expensive.

Adm Kamthorn yesterday said he would go ahead with the navy's original plan. It would be presented to the Defence Council chaired by Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon next week.

 

Gen Prawit had earlier voiced his support for the idea of acquiring two brand-new submarines from South Korea. He believed they would last longer than the decommissioned German ones.

The six Type U-206A coastal patrol submarines have been in use in Germany for more than 30 years and Adm Kamthorn admitted they had only another six or seven years of useful life left.

Though the South Korean Type U209 submarine is made using German technology, Adm Kamthorn said it is too big, with a displacement of 1,200 tonnes. "They also cost up to 13 billion baht each," he said.

Although the navy included the option of buying South Korean submarines in its feasibility study, it does not have enough money to buy the two new ones.

"It is most practical to buy the second-hand ones at a cost of 7.7 billion baht," said Adm Kamthorn, who also played down concerns over the usefulness of the submarines in Thai waters. "The navy has to take care of Thailand's marine interests valued at 900 billion baht a year. An investment of 7.7 billion baht will be worth it," he said.

If Thailand fails to secure the six submarines, the opportunity may go to Chile or Colombia, which are also interested in striking a deal with Germany, said navy Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations Thawiwut Phongphiphat.

A navy source said other countries in Southeast Asia have already strengthened their navies with submarines. Malaysia deploys two French-made ones, Singapore has four and Vietnam has three, with a plan to buy six more from Russia. Even Burma has already had its soldiers trained in submarine operations.

If the Defence Council and later the cabinet approve the navy's purchase plan, the first batch of 30 navy officers will be sent for a year of training in Germany before Thailand receives the submarines, said Vice Adm Thawiwut.