Arihant’s maiden sea sortie shortly; stringent safety audits to curb accidents, says Admiral Dhowan
The country's maiden dedicated military satellite Rukmini (GSAT-7) was launched by the Arianespace from French Guiana in April 2013, giving Indian Navy more teeth for its missions in the IOR.
"Currently ships, submarines and aircraft are being inducted into the Navy at regular intervals. We have gone multi-dimensional and the Rukmini satellite has ensured that the Navy will have an operational network footprint in the IOR," Admiral Dhowan told OneIndia during his recent visit to the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala (Kerala).
LCA Navy delay is a matter of concern
Admiral Dhowan said that the delay in the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Navy programme has been taken up seriously. "It's an important programme for us and we have the IAC (Indigenous Aircraft Carrier) in Kochi getting ready and the SBTF (Shore Based Test Facility) waiting for LCA Navy. It's important that the programme is speeded up," he said.
He said the Navy was monitoring the progress of the project closely. "We have conveyed our concerns to the agencies concerned. We hope to start the trials of LCA Navy at SBTF at the earliest. The delay has been a cause of concern. We have also conveyed our concern to the Ministry of Defence and the
defence production officials," he said.
More
roles
for
ALHs;
aviation
arm
on
a
threshold
He
said
for
the
Navy
is
looking
for
additional
ALHs
for
enhanced
maritime
operations
in
the
IOR.
To
a
specific
query
whether
the
Navy
would
go
for
weaponised
versions
of
ALH,
the
Navy
Chief
said:
"Our
requirements
are
different.
Now
we
are
using
them
for
SAR
(search
and
rescue)
operations
and
as
a
utility
copter.
In
future,
we
want
the
ALHs
for
shallow
water
ASW
(anti-submarine
warfare)
requirements.
So
we
hope
to
get
the
best
ALHs."
He said the naval aviation is on a threshold with the induction of new assets. "We have the MiG 29 Ks (both fighter and trainer) flying onboard INS Vikramaditya. More MiG 29Ks will be inducted soon to consolidate their operational process from an aircraft carrier. We have inducted six P8-Is at Rajali and two more will join to complete the first slot. We have a case in progress to explore the option clause for four more," he said.
He said the rotary UAV programme undertaken by the DRDO has been very slow. "We have taken note of the delay in the project. We have given lots of impetus to the project in the last two years. We have laid down stringent timelines and conveyed the same to DRDO for an early solution. We have seen some progress on this front now," the Admiral said. He said the Navy's relationship with DRDO is that of a synergy.
Arihant's first sea sortie shortly
The Navy Chief said that all efforts have been made to ensure that the operational submarines are fully operational and combat-ready. "We are also undertaking an aspect related to the service life extension of these submarines so that we can give them longer lease of life," he said.
"We
took
stock
of
the
ongoing
submarine
construction
‘Project
75' programme
(Scorpene)
at
the
Mazagon
Dockyards
Limited.
We
have
given
a
deadline
of
September
2016
for
the
first
submarine
to
come
out,
followed
by
five
more,"
he
added.
The
Navy
Chief
said
that
India's
nuclear
submarine
Arihant
will
have
its
first
sea
sortie
shortly
soon
after
its
harbour
trials.
Quality control at dockyards made stringent
When asked about the growing number of accidents being reported in the Navy during the last one year, the Navy Chief said that if the procedures are not followed with alacrity, accidents do happen.
"The Navy is a highly professional service driven by technology advancements. For every action carried out onboard our assets we need to strictly follow all the procedures. When we don't follow them, there will be room for errors leading to accidents," he said.
Saying
that
50
per
cent
of
naval
ships
are
almost
20
years
old,
he
said
safety
procedures
cannot
be
overlooked
even
once.
"The
lifespan
of
a
ship
or
submarine
is
around
30-35
years.
It's
not
easy
to
operate
on
a
submarine
or
a
ship
while
we
work
in
a
very
challenging
environment.
When
we
have
older
ships
we
have
to
be
extra
careful
while
maintaining
them.
Nobody
would
like
accidents
to
happen.
Our
sailors
and
officers
spent
sleepless
nights
so
that
our
citizens
can
sleep
in
peace.
All
measures
have
been
taken,
including
safety
audits,
to
ensure
that
accidents
can
be
minimized,"
the
Navy
Chief
said.
He said the material failure is an aspect related to maintenance. "There are many agencies involved at our dockyards. The quality control at our dockyards has been made stringent," he said.
Manpower induction and development of infrastructure key
He said the Navy is gearing up to add more manpower with more assets being inducted on a regular basis. "Man power development and development of infrastructure are two key factors for the Indian Navy now. Since we are inducting more ships, submarines and aircraft, we are focusing more on the human resources now. The INA is the cradle for human resources development of officers and it has to cater to the enhanced rate of induction. We have set our sight on the Phase-II expansion of INA now," Admiral Dhowan said.
He said the Phase-II will take into account the living accommodation, training facilities, classrooms, sports facilities sound education and training. "We would want INA to impart the highest quality of training available," he said.
‘A salute to remember' photo inspires the Chief
The Navy Chief expressed his happiness over the photograph of a special child saluting with the title ‘A salute to remember' going viral on the social media.
"I am touched by this photo. Indian Navy needs more such inspiring moments. Glad you could capture this. An inspiring image for the Indian Navy when we are heading for Navy Day celebrations," the Chief told OneIndia.
The
photo
was
captured
by
this
writer
outside
the
INA
main
gate
on
November
28.
It
was
a
mere
coincidence
that
OneIndia
was
present
while
Sandeep
(a
special
child)
was
saluting
Rajeev
(of
the
Naval
Police).
Sandeep
is
a
student
of
Sneha
Nilaya
Special
School,
Kaakanaadu
(Kochi)
and
had
visited
the
INA
along
with
other
children
as
part
of
Indian
Navy's
outreach
programme.
The
Chief
also
said
that
the
Navy
would
become
more
visible
on
social
media
platforms.
"We
are
looking
at
the
pros
and
cons
on
taking
to
the
social
media.
We
would
certainly
want
better
visibility,"
Admiral
Dhowan
said.
(The writer is a seasoned aerospace and defence journalist in India. He is the Consultant Editor (Defence) with OneIndia. He tweets @writetake.)