{"id":36376,"date":"2023-07-15T09:41:56","date_gmt":"2023-07-15T04:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=36376"},"modified":"2025-04-21T20:18:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T14:48:46","slug":"new-scorpene-class-submarines-and-the-rafale-marine-jets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/new-scorpene-class-submarines-and-the-rafale-marine-jets\/","title":{"rendered":"New Scorpene Class Submarines and the Rafale Marine Jets"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why in News?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Scorpene Class Submarines in India<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>What are the Specifications\/Capabilities of the Scorpene Submarines?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>How do they Compare with Nuclear Submarines?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Need\/Significance for procuring 3 New Submarines<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The Rafale jets and their Marine version:<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>How is the Marine version Different?<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Need for the Rafale M<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>\u00a0Why in News?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The<strong> Defence Acquisition Council<\/strong> (DAC), the apex decision-making body for the acquisition of military equipment for India\u2019s armed forces, cleared proposals worth thousands of crores.<\/li>\n<li>The decision, which coincides with the Indian PM\u2019s two-day Paris trip, includes procuring <strong>3 additional Scorpene submarines and 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets<\/strong> for the Navy from<strong> France.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Scorpene Class Submarines in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (<strong>MDL<\/strong>) in Mumbai is building <strong>six <\/strong>Scorpene class submarines under the<strong> Project-75<\/strong>, as part of a $ 3.75 billion deal signed in <strong>2005.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>This allowed for <strong>transfer of technology<\/strong> from the French defence firm, Naval Group.<\/li>\n<li>The fifth submarine under this project,<strong> INS Vagir<\/strong>, was commissioned in January this year.<\/li>\n<li>The others &#8211; <strong>INS Kalvari, INS Khanderi, INS Karanj and INS Vela<\/strong> were commissioned between 2017 and 2021.<\/li>\n<li>In May 2023, the sixth submarine <strong>Vagsheer <\/strong>began her sea trials.<\/li>\n<li>This <strong>project saw significant delays<\/strong>, with the first submarine originally slated for delivery in 2012.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2><strong>What are the Specifications\/Capabilities of the Scorpene Submarines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>They are ~220 feet long and ~40 feet tall and can reach the top speeds of 11 knots (20 km\/h) when surfaced and 20 knots (37 km\/h) when submerged.<\/li>\n<li><strong>They are conventional attack subs,<\/strong> meaning that they are designed to target and sink adversary naval vessels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Capable of launching a large array of torpedoes and missiles<\/strong>, they are also equipped with a range of<strong> surveillance and intelligence<\/strong>-gathering mechanisms.<\/li>\n<li><strong>They use diesel electric propulsion systems <\/strong>[diesel (for functioning on the surface) and electric (for functioning underwater)], with an endurance &#8211; ability to operate independently without refuelling for ~50 days.<\/li>\n<li>The Indian navy will retrofit all of its Scorpene class submarines with <strong>air independent propulsion (AIP) systems<\/strong>, beginning in 2024, to boost their endurance as well as stealth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>How do they Compare with Nuclear Submarines?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Nuclear submarines are coveted due to their theoretically <strong>unlimited endurance<\/strong> &#8211; a nuclear reactor on a submarine has an operational life of up to 30 years.<\/li>\n<li>These submarines only need to come to the surface<strong> for replenishing supplies for the crew<\/strong>. They are also able to move <strong>much faster than conventional submarines.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Currently, <strong>India has 2 <\/strong>nuclear-powered submarines (SSBMs) of the Arihant class in service.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Despite these advantages<\/strong>, a navy should not only choose to procure nuclear submarines. Because nuclear submarines are &#8211;\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Expensive <\/strong>and require specialised <strong>experience <\/strong>to operate.<\/li>\n<li>With advancements in diesel electric technology (like AIP), <strong>the range of conventional submarines as well as their stealth has gone up significantly.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Need\/Significance for procuring 3 New Submarines<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The need was felt in the backdrop of the <strong>delayed deliveries of submarines under Project 75<\/strong>, as well as to <strong>bolster India\u2019s dwindling submarine fleet.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Currently, the Indian Navy has <strong>16 conventional submarines in service<\/strong> &#8211; 7 of the Sindhughosh class (Russian Kilo class), 4 of the Shishumar class (modified German Type 209) and 5 of the Kalvari class (French Scorpene class).<\/li>\n<li>However, to carry out its full spectrum of operations the Navy <strong>needs at least 18 such submarines.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Moreover, <strong>around 30% of the submarines are under refit <\/strong>(at any given time), thus further bringing down the strength of operational submarines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The procurement of additional submarines <strong>with higher indigenous content<\/strong> will &#8211;\n<ul>\n<li>Not only help in maintaining required force level and operational readiness of the Navy,<\/li>\n<li>But also create significant <strong>employment opportunities<\/strong> in the domestic sector.<\/li>\n<li>Help the MDL in further <strong>enhancing its capability and expertise<\/strong> in submarine construction.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The Rafale jets and their Marine version<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Manufactured by <strong>France\u2019s Dassault Aviation<\/strong>, the Rafales are advanced twin engine, multirole fighter jets equipped with latest weapon systems, including &#8211;\n<ul>\n<li>Meteor-beyond visual range air-to-air missiles,<\/li>\n<li>Hammer air to surface smart weapon system,<\/li>\n<li>Scalp cruise missile<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>They are fitted with modern sensors and radar to detect and track and attack targets. The jets <strong>can carry exceptionally high payloads<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Rafale Marine fighters<\/strong> are the naval variant of the Rafale fighter jets, 36 of which are operated by the Indian Air Force.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"media\">\n<div data-oembed-url=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dpQZJxNhTW8\">\n<div><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dpQZJxNhTW8\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><strong>How is the Marine version Different?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Marine version of the jets will be slightly different, <strong>given that they will operate from aircraft carriers on sea.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The differences include <strong>foldable wings, a longer airframe for landing on carriers, and a tail hook <\/strong>for arrested landing on a carrier.<\/li>\n<li>The Rafale M nose gear also incorporates the \u201c<strong>jump strut technology\u201d<\/strong> in the shock absorber to give the aircraft an angle of attack during catapulting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Need for the Rafale M<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Navy currently operates the MiG-29Ks from its aircraft carrier <strong>INS Vikramaditya.<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Russian MiG-29Ks<\/strong> are a carrier-based multirole fighter aircraft and can have a maximum speed over twice the speed of sound (about 2,000 kmph) and can climb to an altitude of over 65,000 feet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The indigenous Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (<strong>TEDBF<\/strong>) is currently under development by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under the DRDO.<\/li>\n<li>With some of the <strong>MiG-29Ks expected to retire in a decade and with the Navy now having two operational aircraft carriers<\/strong>, there is a need to procure additional deck-based fighters to meet its operational requirements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><strong>Q1) What is the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA)?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) under Department of Defence Research and Development (DR&amp;D) of India&#8217;s Ministry of Defence was established at Bangalore, in 1984 to oversee the development of the nation&#8217;s Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Q2) What is the difference between nuclear powered and conventional submarines?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The main difference between conventional submarines and nuclear submarines is the power generation system. Nuclear submarines employ nuclear reactors for this task.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-sci-tech\/scorpene-class-submarines-indian-navy-8837114\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>New Scorpene class submarines for the Navy: Why they are a crucial buy<\/u><\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/rafale-marine-jet-india-france-features-8836091\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><u>IE<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) cleared proposals for procuring 3 additional Scorpene submarines and 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for the Navy from France<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-36376","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36376"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36376\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36377"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36376"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36376"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}