India is reportedly moving away from plans to lease an additional Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine (SSN) from Russia.
Sources within the defence establishment indicate that persistent delays in the delivery of the previously contracted INS Chakra III have forced a strategic rethink.
Planners now believe that a further lease would offer limited value, as the delivery timeline would clash with the arrival of India’s own indigenous nuclear submarines.
Delays in the Chakra III Programme
In 2019, India and Russia signed a deal estimated at $3 billion to lease an Akula-class submarine, designated to serve as INS Chakra III.This vessel—widely believed to be the Akula-II class submarine Bratsk or Samara—was originally scheduled for delivery to the Indian Navy by 2025. However, the programme has faced repeated setbacks.
According to Russian authorities, the revised delivery date has now drifted to 2028. These delays have significantly eroded the operational window the submarine was meant to fill.
INS Chakra III was intended to bridge the capability gap left after the return of INS Chakra II (the Nerpa) to Russia in 2021, and to keep Indian crews proficient in nuclear operations until domestic alternatives arrived.
The Logic Against a New Lease
The reconsidered Russian offer involved leasing a second Akula-class boat to run alongside Chakra III. However, defence officials have reportedly concluded that the timelines no longer make strategic sense.If a contract for this additional submarine were signed in 2026, the vessel would likely not be delivered until 2033 due to the extensive refurbishment required on mothballed Russian hulls.
This date is uncomfortably close to the projected sea trials of India’s first indigenous SSN, which are expected to begin around 2034.
Integrating a leased foreign platform just a year or two before introducing a home-grown class would create unnecessary logistical complexity and financial burden for minimal long-term gain.
Focus Shifts to Indigenous Project-77
The Ministry of Defence has already sanctioned the construction of two indigenous SSNs under the highly classified Project-77.The design phase for these submarines is reportedly near completion. Physical construction is slated to begin within the next two to three years at a newly built, high-capacity dry dock in Cochin.
Under the current roadmap:
- Construction Start: ~2028–2029
- Sea Trials: ~2034
- Induction: ~2036–2037
Maximising Training Value
Despite the shift away from a second lease, the Indian Navy remains focused on the critical requirement of crew training. Operating a nuclear reactor underwater requires highly specialised skills that cannot be allowed to atrophy.The plan now is to utilise INS Chakra III intensively once it arrives in 2028. Rather than operating it solely as a patrol vessel, it will function primarily as a training school at sea. The Navy intends to rotate multiple crews through the vessel in parallel.
This strategy ensures that when the first indigenous Project-77 submarine is ready for induction in the mid-2030s, a large pool of experienced officers and sailors will be ready to man it immediately.
By consolidating resources into the indigenous programme and maximising the utility of the single leased boat, India aims to transition smoothly from a buyer’s navy to a builder’s navy in the domain of nuclear underwater warfare.
