There is always a significant dilemma in the naval forces of different countries on whether to opt for an aircraft carrier or a diesel-electric submarine. The complexity of maritime defence planning is evident in the need for a combination of these assets. Comparing them is inappropriate due to the different roles both naval assets provide to a country's defences. An aircraft carrier is an elongated naval ship on which fighter jets take off land, acting as a moving air base on water. When an aircraft carrier moves to patrol a country's water, submarines, frigates, destroyers and other naval assets are combined on patrol, with more than 15 ships going with an early warning fighter jet to pick up a hostile act from the enemy. It is not easy to detect an aircraft carrier continuously moving and destroying it because more than 100 to 200 surface-to-air missiles are there with the entire carrier strike group to protect. On the other hand, the submarine provides deterrence patrol if it is a nuclear submarine.
As of June 2024, only P5 countries and India have nuclear ballistic submarines. Most countries have a diesel-electric submarine. They are used for coastal patrol and intelligence gathering on world fibre optics cable, which is under water-based and other operations. It is also used for anti-ship warfare. For comprehensive naval security, you need both assets, but due to a limited budget, many countries prefer submarines over aircraft carriers. It also depends upon your country's coastlines and economic spending. An aircraft carrier takes a long time from construction to induction, and you must train the workforce. Depending upon the country's capability, you also need fighter jets to operate for the airline, such as early warning helicopters or fighter jets. Only nine countries operate an aircraft carrier. Most countries don't have the budget or time to train their workforce for aircraft carriers or submarines. Just having standard frigates or destroyers will do their work. Some countries are under NATO, so they don't need these assets due to the US's naval strength, which can protect them in times of crisis.
From India's perspective, we have a coastline of more than 7,000 km and hostile relations on both our eastern and western borders. We need an aircraft carrier and all types of submarines (diesel-electric submarines, submerged ship nuclear, submerged ship ballistic nuclear, submerged ship guided nuclear) for combined deterrence patrol of the Indian Ocean and providing open naval shipping routes from pirates and other groups. Looking ahead, our plans for naval assets are promising. From the aircraft carrier perspective, we currently have two carriers; one is operational, and the other is without the Fighter jet. We have begun negotiating with France for the deal of 26 naval jets. The Indian Navy has MIG29-UPG jets from their aircraft carrier. The future will be TEDBF (twin engines deck base fighter), which will replace MIG 29. We need a high number of aircraft carriers to protect the coastline.
In the future aircraft carrier plan, we may get CCS clearance to construct the third aircraft carrier by the end of next year. It will be commissioned after the year 2030. After that, the country's next carrier will be CATOBAR, with more than 60,000 tons of displacement to be built in substantial single digit quantity to provide deterrence patrol in the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean simultaneously. Then, a plan of having more than one aircraft carrier is needed to continuously protect both the water bodies on the eastern and western front of the country.
We need to use naval assets and power projection for the combined patrol of our coastlines for the deterrence patrol. We currently have 16 diesel-electric submarines (SSK). They are regular submarines that work on diesel-electric generators. It can be used in anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, and surveillance capabilities for intelligence purposes. If we add air-independent propulsion to the submarines, their range will increase. Air-independent propulsion is used to generate electricity that does not require oxygen. These SSKs will act as coastal protection for our coastlines.
The nuclear attack (SSN) and ballistic missile-carrying submarine (SSBN) will act as protection from the first use of atomic attack from hostile countries. They are the most essential part of the nuclear triad (use of atomic weapons from land, water and air) for the country. They work. We are the net service provider in the Indian Ocean Region, as we know from the time we had our first nuclear submarine commissioned in 2016, before that region, due to their naval bases in the area. SSNs protect nuclear ballistic missile submarines due to their greater agility.
Nuclear attack submarines are used to hunt SSBNs, but other naval assets are combined to hunt the SSBNs. Nuclear submarines are noisier than their diesel-electric counterparts due to the use of nuclear reactors, and they cannot be operated in a shallow water zone. Hydrographic surveys of the sea can also help where a submarine can help do a combat patrol. If we look at the Bay of Bengal hydrographic survey, it's excellent for nuclear submarines; that's the reason for INS Varsha. There must be four nuclear ballistic submarines for continuous at-sea deterrence patrol if we look at the current geopolitical trends in the world and countries neighbouring India. We need low 2-digit numbers for nuclear submarines. For SSK, we need more than 30 submarines. Joseph Stalin used to say quantity is a quality of its own. In the end, what Alfred Thayan Mahen said about the Indian Ocean region was right.
The above article tries to explain the dilemma that countries face while procuring submarines and aircraft carriers for the country. It also speaks about different types of submarines and their role. In the context of India, it tries to give an overview of both the naval asset and its importance in the Indian Ocean Region. As mentioned above, the future of aircraft carriers and different types of submarines are required for the country to face the hostile neighbourhood due to existing geopolitical tension.
Sameer Chawla
