MOSCOW, February 13 (RIA Novosti) - Foreign customers have shown high interest in Russia’s advanced Amur-1650 class submarine, state-run arms dealer Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday.
“Of the nine countries that are planning to modernize or develop their submarine fleets…three have already chosen the Amur-1650 project,” Rosoboronexport’s director Anatoly Isaikin said.
He did not name the countries in question.
The ongoing work on air-independent (closed cycle) propulsion systems for the submarine should further fuel the customers’ interest, he added.
The Amur 1650 is one of several participants in a tender by the Indian Navy for six submarines with a total value of $11.8 billion. The Amur 1650 is up against the Scorpene (France), Type 214 (Germany) and S-80 (Spain), among others.
The Amur has an armament of multirole torpedoes and anti-ship missiles, and can also effectively engage land targets with advanced cruise missiles, which may include the Indian-Russian Brahmos.
The Amur 1650 has the ability to remain submerged for over 25 days using its air-independent propulsion, five to 10 days longer than similar-class foreign boats.
Air-independent submarines, which usually use hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells, are quieter than conventional diesel-electric boats and do not have to surface or use snorkel tubes to breathe air, thereby exposing themselves to detection by radar and other sensors.
