HSL to build two midget submarines

Underwater capability of Indian Navy will get a shot in the arm with the in-principle decision of Ministry of Defence to place construction of two Strategic Operating Vessels (SOVs) on Hindustan Shipyard Limited.

The Request for Proposal (RoP) will be notified in a couple of months. Building two SOVs, also known as midget submarines each costing an estimated amount of Rs.3,000 crore will be a prestigious project. “We are expecting to ground work on the project by completing all the procedures by the year-end and deliver it in three years,” HSL Chairman and Managing Director Rear Admiral N.K. Mishra told The Hindu on Sunday, declining to elaborate further.

The Indian Navy expected to receive two midget submarine or Special operation submarine within the next two years. The Hindustan Shipyard will built the midget submarine where DAC agreed to spent money in the midget submarine Project in October last year. Midget submarines are not operational in major naval forces. while they use special purpose vehicles fitted in the SSN, like the US navy seal diving vehicle. but those are all meant for sabotage and  infiltration.

 During the WW2 Japanese midget submarines poses huge threats to the Allied forces both germans and Japs used such small submarines to drop anti sub mines and sabotage enemy commercial vessels. that shows serious problems to the Allies. later they knows about their small submarines that can carry a crew of one or two and doing massive damages. here also those subs need a strong support vessels, that means the mini sub can't go faster can't have good endurance and range. thus need a good surface vessel or an good submarine. and the US Navy takes it as a Advantage of putting a small capsules in their SSN for delivering Navy seals to carryout special ops in oil rigs and enemy submarines. while keeping good distance from it's mother ship. 

 But here we don't have such support platforms or bigger submarines that can carry such vessels, so as of imagination, the sub's requirements should be can accommodate some ten crew's. Automatic pilot. can carry  small torpedo's or bunch of mines. speed about some 20 knots and endurance of one or two days at maximum diving depth of some 500 meters. total displacement about  less than 200 tons. and range about some 1000knots.    

 as of now Iran and North korea is the only Naval forces who uses Midget Submarines. both having good endurance and Range.

But Navy may use this for Special force insertion and Sabotage operations against our rival enemies.  as of now navy publishes no information about the mini sub clearly indicates that can be keep as highly confidential. 

Sweden Kokums system Sea dagger

Japanese Secret submarine during WW2

Small submarine fitted with a Heavy Torpedo

Iranian Fatheh Class Mini sub

Iranian Fatheh Class Mini sub

four Iranian Fatheh Class Mini sub

North Korean Mini Submarine