India Agrees to Lease Russian Nuclear Submarine for 10 Years at 3 Trillion Won

Scheduled for Deployment with the Indian Navy for 10 Years

As Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, is on a state visit to India, India has agreed to lease a nuclear-powered submarine (SSN) from Russia for approximately 3 trillion won, with delivery scheduled for 2028.

On the 4th (local time), a man is seen riding a bicycle past a billboard featuring images of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to Bloomberg News on the 5th (local time), sources reported that India is expected to pay about 2 billion dollars (approximately 2.94 trillion won) to lease the Russian-made nuclear-powered submarine.

The two countries initially signed the lease agreement in March 2019, but negotiations stalled over the lease fee. The two sides have now reached an agreement.

To facilitate this contract, Indian officials visited a Russian shipyard last month.

Although delivery of the submarine is scheduled for 2028, it is reported that the timeline could be delayed further due to the complexity of the project.

The leased submarine will be deployed with the Indian Navy for 10 years and will be used for crew training and operational improvements for India’s domestically built submarines. Under the terms of the lease, it will not be deployed directly into combat.

Previously, in 2012, India leased the Russian Akula-class nuclear submarine Nerpa, renamed it INS Chakra, and operated it until it was returned to Russia in 2021.

In this regard, earlier this week, Indian Navy Chief of Staff Dinesh K. Tripathi mentioned that a nuclear-powered submarine would be deployed soon, but did not provide further details.

He also said that the third Arihant-class strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), which India is building domestically, is expected to be deployed for active service next year.