Russian naval shipyard signs contract with Indian Navy

A Russian naval shipyard has signed a three-year contract with the Indian Navy for servicing submarines in India.

Under the contract, which would be effective till 2009, Severodvinsk-based Zvyozdochka shipyard would provide full servicing for four Kilo class diesel-electric submarines of the Indian Navy at their bases in India, ITAR-TASS reported.

Located on the White Sea coast in north Russia, Zvyozdochka shipyard specialises in the servicing and scraping of nuclear submarines.

It has already upgraded three Kilo class submarines of the Indian Navy, beginning from INS Sindhuvir and the fourth, INS Sindhghosh is currently undergoing a deep refit.

Although the agency did not give the cost of the Indian contract and other details, except that it was concluded through Rosoboronexport State Corporation, it has not ruled out that four upgraded submarines with vertical tubes could be adopted for deployment of state-of-the-art Brahmos cruise missiles.

During a recent fleet review, President A P J Abdul Kalam had unveiled plans to deploy Indo-Russian Brahmos cruise missiles on the naval submarines.