India Myanmar Submarine Deal – Free PDF Download

INDIA MYANMAR SUBMARINE DEAL

INS SINDHUVIR

• India is set to hand over Myanmar its first ever submarine, with a Kilo class boat likely to be sent across this year after being refitted indigenously.

DETAILS

• The INS Sindhuvir will be used by the Myanmar Navy — which is looking at acquiring its own submarine fleet in the coming years — for training purposes.
•  The Kilo class submarine, bought from Russia in the 1980s, is currently being modernised by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Vizag

NOTES

• The transfer of the submarine is likely to take place with a line of credit (LoC) that has been extended by India to Myanmar for enhancing military capability. The Indian initiative, sources said, came after extensive talks with the Myanmar leadership over the past four years to understand their defence needs.
• As part of the capacity building, earlier this month India supplied Myanmar with advanced light torpedoes named `Shyena’ as part of a $ 38 million export deal that was signed in 2017. The torpedoes were manufactured by the state owned Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL).

BANGLADESH CHINA DEAL

• Myanmar’s own quest to acquire an undersea capability was hastened after Bangladesh’s acquisition of two old Type 35G Ming-class submarines from China in 2017. Notably, Myanmar has not turned to China to fulfil this requirement.
• In 2017, Bangladesh received two refurbished Type 035Gclass submarines (Ming class) from China as part of a $ 203 million deal, a move that was watched with caution in India as it symbolized the increasing dependence of the neighboring nation on Beijing.

THE INDIAN OFFER

• Kilo class (Project 877) being transferred by India is significantly more capable that the Ming class that was sold by China and is suitable for operations in the region as has been demonstrated by the Indian Navy.
• The deal with Myanmar also includes a significant training package to prepare the neighbouring nation for induction of a larger fleet in the coming years.

INDIA’S LARGER SUPPORT

• India’s decision to transfer a submarine is, therefore, a sort of inducement to encourage Myanmar to stick to its time-tested policy, while also building on the extant synergy in security ties.
• What helps India’s cause is that Myanmar is once again at the receiving end of Western opprobrium over the Rohingya issue and is looking for support from Asian democracies such as India.
• New Delhi obliged by inviting Commander-in-Chief Hlaing to visit India right after the US announced a visa ban on him.

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