Despite the international sanctions imposed on Russia, the Indian government remains steadfast in its position to sustain, maintain, and expand the capabilities of its diverse range of Russian-origin combat equipment and platforms currently in service with its Armed Forces. The most recent case was recorded today, January 4, with the signing of a new agreement for the purchase of new Kalibr cruise missiles to equip the Indian Navy’s Kilo-class attack submarines.
Known as the Sindhughosh-class, these are a series of diesel-electric powered attack submarines based on the Kilo-class (Project 877), acquired by India from the Soviet Union during the 1980s. With their induction into the Indian Navy’s Submarine Force, they replaced the older Vela-class units (a variant of the Project 641 class, NATO designation: Foxtrot, of Soviet origin).
The construction of the ten (10) units was carried out by the Sevmash shipyard (now part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation), with commissioning beginning in 1986 when the first unit of the class, INS Sindhughosh, was inducted on April 30. Subsequently, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, construction continued under Russia, concluding in 2000 with the delivery and commissioning of the final unit, INS Sindhushastra.
As of today, following a life-extension and upgrade program in cooperation with the Sevmash shipyard aimed at ensuring their operational service for the coming years until the induction of a new class of submarines, a total of seven units remain in service. The remaining three—INS Sindhurakshak, Sindhuvir, and Sindhudhvaj—were decommissioned in 2017, 2020, and 2022, respectively.
Returning to today’s report, January 4, the Indian Ministry of Defense confirmed a new agreement with Russia for the acquisition of new cruise missiles. Although the specific model was not mentioned, the images released confirm that these are Kalibr missiles in their submarine-launched version.
The defense ministry stated: “The Ministry of Defense today signed a contract with Russia for the acquisition of anti-ship cruise missiles in the presence of Defense Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi. These missiles will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the Indian Navy’s submarine fleet.”
While no further details were provided, the acquisition by India is focused on the submarine-launched version of the Kalibr for use against land targets. In the absence of more information, it can only be assumed that this refers to the export version of the Russian missile, designated as 3M-54E (also known as Club-S), which has variants capable of striking both land and surface targets at distances of up to 300 kilometers. It could also potentially be the more modern 3M-54TE version, designated as Club-N. Both missile types are currently employed by the Sindhughosh-class.
