INS Sindhuvijay Upgrade: The Indian Navy’s submarine INS Sindhuvijay will soon go for or a big refit at Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. The work is planned for later this year, and the aim is to make the submarine ready for many more years because the Navy needs strong underwater power in the Indian Ocean. This submarine joined service in 1991, and it last had a full repair in 2005 when it was sent to Russia’s Zvezdochka Shipyard. Now the Ministry of Defence has already given the green signal and the contract for the refit will be signed very soon.
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The refit will not just fix old parts but also add new systems. Workers will repair the hull, give new life to the engines, add better sonar, and install modern communication tools. They will also fit new weapons that will make the submarine more deadly and ready for today’s wars.
What this Submarine can do?
INS Sindhuvijay is a big vessel and it can fight in many ways. When it is on the surface it weighs about 2,325 tonnes, and when it is under the sea it goes up to 3,076 tonnes. The submarine is around 73 meters long and it can travel 6,000 nautical miles at a slow speed of 7 knots when it uses its snorkel. It can also go down deep, as far as 300 meters below the sea.
It carries powerful weapons too. The boat has six torpedo tubes of 533 mm size and can launch 18 torpedoes or 24 sea mines. It also has Club-S cruise missiles that can strike land targets from 220 km away. The crew inside is about 53 people, which includes 12 to 13 officers. They can stay in the sea for around 45 days without coming back to land.
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INS Sindhuvijay past Upgrade
The last big refit in 2005 was very important. At that time, the submarine was changed so it could fire Klub-class missiles from its torpedo tubes. It also got a new Indian sonar system and better communication sets.
But the road was not smooth. In the beginning, the missile tests did not work well and the Navy had to wait. After fixing the issues, the submarine went back into full service with strong strike powers. Earlier this year, Hindustan Shipyard already finished the overhaul of INS Sindhukirti and gave it back to the Navy.
