INS Chakra (S71)

INS Chakra (S71) Story

At the heart of the modern Indian Navy's INS Chakra (S-71) is the Russian-built Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The class was introduced by the Soviet Union in the mid-1980s, and about 21 ships were planned for the series - although only 15 were realized due to the decline of the Soviet Empire in the 1990s.

With 10 still in active service as of 2016, Nerpa (K-152) was loaned (on-lease) to the Indian Navy, where she was named "Chakra" (named after the weapon of Lord Vishnu).

The Russian Navy agreed to lease the vessel to the Indian Navy in 2004. The handover was delayed by an incident in 2008 in which 20 crew members died (asphyxiation). The Indian Navy took delivery of the vessel on December 30, 2011, marking the start of a ten-year charter.

Chakra's crew has been trained in the nuances of operating and maintaining a nuclear-powered underwater vessel in St. Petersburg waters. The official launch of Chakra took place on April 4, 2012.

Chakra follows a Charlie I-class ship of the same name that served in the Indian Navy from 1988 to 1992. Charles I's ships also date back to Soviet times and are powered by nuclear technology.

On the surface, Chakra will provide the Indian Navy with a true nuclear-powered submarine capability, a capability it has lacked for some time. The nuclear-powered propulsion system gives the boat unlimited underwater endurance because the boat doesn't need to surface at all to charge its critical battery supply. Essentially, the ship's range of operations is limited only by the stamina of the crew (and their available food supply).

The crew of 80 also have access to a number of facilities useful on long voyages under the sea. The submarine can reach a speed of more than 30 knots underwater and can dive to a depth of 600 meters.

Stealth features have also been given a lot of attention, making the Chakra one of the quietest submarines in service. The displacement is just over 8,000 tons.

The armament consists of 4 x 650mm and 4 x 533 torpedo tubes designed to strike underwater and sea targets with equal lethality.

With the INS Chakra entering active duty, the Indian Navy is now the only nuclear-powered attack submarine nation along with the US, Russia, France, China and the UK.

The experience of operating INS Chakra helped kick-start the indigenous design, development and construction of Indian attack submarine - INS Arihant (detailed elsewhere on this website). Arihant entered service in August 2016.

Specification

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