New Delhi: India is set to lease a nuclear-powered attack submarine from Russia for about $2 billion, which makes a major step forward in defence cooperation ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s visit to New Delhi this week.
According to the reports, the deal was finalised after nearly a decade of intermittent negotiations, which had stalled earlier over pricing issues.
Indian officials visited a Russian shipyard in November, and the vessel is expected to be delivered within two years, though the timeline could extend due to the project’s complexity.
Putin will arrive on 4 December for his first visit to India since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reinforce long-standing defence and energy ties.
The talks come as India reasserts strategic autonomy, even as the Modi government negotiates a trade arrangement to reduce the 50 per cent punitive tariffs imposed by former US President Donald Trump.
Ahead of the visit, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi indicated that commissioning of the new submarine is expected soon. The vessel will be larger than the two nuclear-powered submarines currently in India’s fleet.
India has already developed nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missiles, giving it a full nuclear triad. The country is also advancing plans to build its own nuclear-powered attack submarines as part of its long-term maritime strategy.
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