MOSCOW, December 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Zvyozdochka shipyard said Friday that it could receive by mid-2015 at least two Indian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines for an overhaul that would extend their service life for another 10 years.
“We are expecting the Indian side to deliver one or even two Project 877EKM (improved Kilo-class) submarines for repairs and upgrades with service life extension,” Zvyozdochka general director Vladimir Nikitin told RIA Novosti.
Russia has built 10 Kilo class submarines for India and has already overhauled five of them: INS Sindhuvir, INS Sindhuratna, INS Sindhughosh, INS Sindhuvijay and INS Sindhurakshak.
A fire on board the ill-fated Sindhurakshak in the port of Mumbai in April reportedly damaged the boat beyond repair, according to Indian navy sources.
The Indian Defense Ministry has not yet made a final decision about the future overhaul of its Russian-made Kilo-class submarines, although it has been considering fast-tracking a second midlife upgrade for the boats.
The upgrade program includes a complete overhaul of the vessels, including their hull structures, as well as improved control systems, sonar, electronic warfare systems and an integrated weapon control system. The upgrade is reported to cost about $80 million.
The overhauled Indian submarines are equipped with 3M-54 Club-S (SS-N-27) anti-ship cruise missiles, the Indian-developed USHUS sonar, the CCS-MK radio communications system and the Porpoise radar.
Russia's Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines are well-known for being extremely quiet boats, and have been purchased by China, India, Iran, Poland, Romania, Vietnam and Algeria.
