DRDO Develops AIP Technology, Indian Submarines To Be Quieter And Lethal

One day before the INS Karanj attack submarine is inducted into the Indian Navy, the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) conducted the final Independent Air Propulsion (AIP) development test in Mumbai on Monday night, an important step that will make Indian submarines more deadly. . AIP allows a submarine to be submerged for longer periods underwater and makes the underground platform more deadly by making it quieter than a nuclear submarine.

The Indian Navy now plans to modernize all of its Kalvari-class non-nuclear attacks with AIP during its first upgrade, scheduled for 2023. The 1615-ton Kalvari-class submarine is being built by Mazagon Dockyards Limited in collaboration with the French Naval Group and is based on Scorpene. design. INS Karanj, third in class, is expected to be commissioned tomorrow.

The development of AIP technology is a big boost for the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign as only the US, France, China, UK and Russia have this key technology. The DRDO’s AIP technology is based on a phosphoric acid fuel cell and the last two Kalvari-class submarines will be powered by it. The AIP design was tested on the ground in Mumbai on Monday night, the latest in a series of tests.

AIP or marine propulsion technology allows non-nuclear submarines to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (via snorkel or the surface) and augments the diesel-electric propulsion system of attack submarines. This means that the AIP-equipped submarine does not have to surface to charge its batteries and remains underwater for long periods. The AIP adapts to existing submarine hulls by adding an additional hull section. AIP-equipped submarines are identified as SSP, while classic diesel attack submarines carry the SSK classification.

While the nuclear submarine generates noise due to the ship’s reactor constantly pumping coolant to maintain engine temperature, the AIP-equipped submarine maintains deadly silence. The new technology will increase the lethality of Indian submarines, which also take advantage of internal refraction in equatorial waters due to temperature differences on the surface and within the ocean.

The DRDO’s AIP technology also received a pat on the back from the French, who were in contact with the Indians in the context of Kalvari-class manufacturing. Despite urgent requests, the French have decided not to upgrade Pakistani Agosta 90 B submarines with AIP technology, forcing Islamabad to go to China or Turkey.