Indian Navy Hunts For Submarine Rescue Simulators To Train Its Sailors For Deep-Submergence Rescue Missions
For the past few years, it has remained focused on the development of submarines and the acquisition of submarine rescue systems that could aid it in case of a contingency. In a fresh development, India’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) has issued a RFI for submarine rescue simulators.
According to this RFI issued in January 2022, the MoD is acquiring two sets of simulators that would train Navy personnel to operate submarine rescue vessel (SRV) and remotely operated vehicle (ROV) systems.
The SRV one should be able to simulate the actual vehicle’s rolling and pitching motions, as well as have the same “look, feel, functions, man-machine interface, and response time” as the Indian Navy’s Deep-Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV).
A DSRV is a type of deep-submergence vehicle used for submarine rescue operations and covert missions. India is one of the select countries that possess this capability. It has two DSRVs that it procured from James Fishers & Sons, a UK-based company.
The Indian Navy inducted its first DSRV in 2018 and the second one in 2019. Further, in 2020, a DSRV Complex was inaugurated at Vishakhapatnam to ensure the operational readiness of the vehicles with all equipment intact and ready to use.
With a growing fleet of submarines in the Indian Navy and its plans for expanding its fleet to deal with the challenges in the near seas, India’s Ministry of Defense has earnestly pursued the DSRV project.
In the Goa Maritime Conclave attended by Indian Navy commanders and delegations from Indian Ocean countries last year, the service displayed its submarine rescue capability. Only a few countries in the IOR possess this capability, as previously reported by The Hindu.
In the Union Budget presented by the Finance Minister earlier this month, the Indian Navy had received an increased share amid “challenges in the Indian Ocean Region”.
Source: Sakshi Tiwari, Eurasian Times
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