Evolution Of Naval Power In South Asia: India, Pakistan And Chinese Factor – Analysis
Naval power in South Asia has evolved significantly over the decades, with India and Pakistan representing two critical players in the region’s maritime dynamics. The rivalry between the two nations extends to their naval capabilities, which are influenced by their distinct strategic requirements, geographic contexts and external alliances. Over the years, China has become a pivotal factor in shaping Pakistan’s naval expansion, adding a layer of complexity to the naval balance in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
This article explores the comparative strengths of the Indian and Pakistani navies, delves into the strategic implications of nuclear submarines and examines the role of indigenous defence production. It also assesses the growing influence of China on Pakistan’s naval modernization and the resulting shifts in regional maritime security.
1. Indian & Pak Naval Fleets: Comparative Analysis
The Indian Navy (IN)
The Indian Navy stands as one of the most formidable naval forces in the Indo-Pacific region. Its primary focus is on maintaining maritime dominance, securing the critical sea lanes of communication (SLoCs), and projecting power throughout the region. With a diverse array of platforms, the Indian Navy showcases its blue-water capability, allowing it to operate far from its shores and influence regional and global affairs.
Aircraft Carriers: The Indian Navy operates the INS Vikramaditya, a Kiev-class carrier, and has recently commissioned its first indigenous aircraft-carrier, the INS Vikrant. These vessels significantly enhance India’s sea control and naval aviation capabilities, giving it the ability to project air power in distant waters.
Surface Combatants: India’s surface fleet includes such destroyers as the INS Kolkata and the INS Visakhapatnam classes, such frigates as the INS Shivalik and INS Talwar classes and such corvettes as the INS Kamorta. These vessels are equipped with cutting-edge sensors, radar systems and multi-role missiles, ensuring a robust capability across anti-surface, anti-air and anti-submarine warfare domains.
Submarines: The Indian Navy has a mixed fleet of diesel-electric and nuclear-powered submarines. The Scorpène-class (Kalvari-class) diesel-electric submarines offer stealth and endurance, while the Arihant-class SSBNs form the backbone of India’s nuclear deterrence.
Naval Aviation: India operates such fixed-wing aircraft as the MiG-29K and such maritime patrol aircraft as the P-8I Poseidon. These aircraft, alongside such helicopters as the MH-60R Seahawk, enhance the navy’s reconnaissance, surveillance and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities.
Naval Infrastructure: India’s indigenous shipbuilding capability, led by its public and private sector shipyards, such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and Cochin Shipyard Limited, enables the production of advanced warships, submarines and aircraft carriers domestically.
The Pakistani Navy (PN)
The Pakistani Navy is smaller, with a more limited scope of operations. It focuses primarily on defending Pakistan’s coastline, securing economic zones and maintaining a credible deterrent against India. While recent years have seen modernization efforts, the navy remains more littorally focused than its Indian counterpart.
Surface Fleet: Pakistan operates a modest fleet of frigates and corvettes. The F-22P Zulfiquar-class and the Type 054A/P frigates, sourced from China, bolster Pakistan’s anti-surface and anti-air capabilities, although they lack the advanced sensors and armaments found on Indian vessels.
Submarines: Pakistan’s submarine fleet consists of Agosta-class submarines, including the advanced Agosta 90B, capable of launching Exocet missiles. Pakistan is also in the process of acquiring 8 Hangor-class submarines from China, which are expected to improve its submarine capabilities.
Naval Aviation: Pakistan’s naval aviation includes such platforms as the P-3C Orion and ATR-72, primarily focused on anti-submarine and maritime surveillance operations. Unlike India, Pakistan does not possess an aircraft-carrier.
Naval Infrastructure: Pakistan’s shipbuilding capability remains limited. The Karachi Shipyard and Engineering Works (KSEW) plays a central role, but Pakistan still relies heavily on foreign imports, particularly from China, for its vessels and equipment.
Comparative Analysis
Strategic Depth: The Indian Navy’s blue-water capabilities give it a strategic advantage over Pakistan, whose navy is primarily geared toward coastal defence.
Power Projection: India’s aircraft carriers and P-8I Poseidon aircraft provide it with greater operational flexibility for both offensive and defensive missions.
Submarine Capabilities: India’s nuclear-powered submarines (SSBNs) provide a strategic deterrent that Pakistan’s conventional submarines cannot match.
Technological Edge: The Indian Navy benefits from a blend of advanced indigenous and international technology, whereas Pakistan relies more on Chinese imports.
2. Indian SSBNs vs Pak Submarines: In-Depth Analysis
Indian Navy’s Arihant-Class SSBNs
The Arihant-class submarines are integral to India’s nuclear triad, providing a second-strike capability in case of a nuclear conflict. Powered by a pressurized water reactor (PWR), the Arihant-class submarines can remain submerged for extended periods, making them difficult to detect and enhancing their survivability.
Armament: The K-15 Sagarika (750-km range) and K-4 ballistic missiles (3,500-km range) are the primary weapons of the Arihant-class SSBNs, allowing India to strike deep into enemy territory if required. This capability ensures a credible nuclear deterrent, especially against such regional adversaries as Pakistan and China.
Stealth and Survivability: The nuclear propulsion system and advanced quieting technologies make the Arihant-class submarines difficult to detect, enhancing their survivability in hostile waters. This ensures that, even in the event of a first strike on India’s land-based nuclear assets, the Arihant-class submarines can launch a retaliatory strike, reinforcing India’s second-strike capability.
Pakistan Navy’s Agosta-Class Submarines
The Agosta-class submarines are French-built diesel-electric submarines, with the Agosta 90B being the most advanced variant in the Pakistan Navy. These submarines play a critical role in Pakistan’s naval strategy, primarily focused on anti-surface warfare and coastal defence.
Diesel-Electric Propulsion: Unlike India’s nuclear-powered SSBNs, the Agosta-class submarines use diesel engines to charge batteries for submerged operations. This limits their endurance under water, as they must surface more frequently than nuclear submarines, making them more vulnerable to detection.
Armament: The Agosta 90B submarines are equipped with Exocet anti-ship missiles and torpedoes, making them formidable in anti-surface warfare. However, they lack the long-range strategic strike capabilities of India’s Arihant-class submarines.
Submarine Modernization: Pakistan has announced plans to acquire Hangor-class submarines from China, which are expected to feature air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems for extended underwater endurance. While this will enhance Pakistan’s submarine fleet, it will not provide the strategic depth that nuclear-powered submarines offer.
Comparative Analysis
Strategic Role: India’s Arihant-class SSBNs provide a critical platform for nuclear deterrence, while Pakistan’s Agosta-class submarines are focused on conventional naval warfare. The strategic imbalance is clear, as Pakistan lacks a sea-based nuclear deterrent.
Endurance & Stealth: The Arihant-class submarines, with their nuclear propulsion, can remain submerged for extended periods, giving India a significant advantage in stealth and endurance. The Agosta-class submarines, reliant on diesel-electric propulsion, must surface more frequently, making them more vulnerable to detection.
Armament: The Arihant-class submarines are armed with nuclear-capable ballistic missiles, giving India a long-range strike capability that Pakistan’s Agosta-class submarines lack. Pakistan’s submarines are effective in conventional warfare, but cannot match the strategic nuclear strike capabilities of India’s SSBNs.
3. Indian & Pak Navies: Indigenous Defence Production
Indian Navy’s Indigenous Defence Production
India has made significant progress in developing indigenous defence production capabilities under the Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India) initiative. The Indian Navy has been at the forefront of this drive, with a large percentage of its warships, submarines and support vessels being produced domestically.
Indigenous Warship Construction: India’s warship production is led by public sector shipyards, such as Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers and Cochin Shipyard Limited. These shipyards have delivered advanced platforms such as the INS Kolkata-class destroyers, INS Kamorta-class anti-submarine corvettes and the INS Vikrant, India’s first indigenously built aircraft-carrier.
Submarine Programmes: India’s Arihant-class nuclear submarines were developed under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) project, a significant milestone in indigenous defence production. The Scorpène-class (Kalvari-class) submarines, produced under Project 75 in collaboration with the French defence company, Naval Group, are another example of India’s growing expertise in advanced underwater platforms.
Missiles & Weapons Systems: India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), in collaboration with such entities as Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) and Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), has developed such indigenous missile systems as the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile and the Barak 8 surface-to-air missile (SAM). These systems are integrated into several naval platforms, enhancing India’s self-reliance in critical weapons systems.
Indigenous Aircraft Carrier: The commissioning of the INS Vikrant marks a milestone in indigenous defence production. While some systems and components are imported, the ship’s design and construction are primarily Indian, showcasing the country’s growing capability in building complex platforms.
Pak Navy’s Indigenous Defence Production
Pakistan’s indigenous defence production capabilities, while improving, are limited compared to India’s. The Pakistani Navy relies heavily on foreign imports and technology transfers, primarily from China and Turkey, for its modernization efforts.
Shipbuilding: Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) has produced such smaller vessels as patrol boats and tugboats. However, major combatants, such as frigates and submarines, have been built with foreign assistance. For example, the F-22P Zulfiquar-class frigates were developed with Chinese collaboration, and one of the four was constructed at KSEW.
Submarine Production: Pakistan plans to acquire Hangor-class submarines from China, with the goal of assembling some domestically. However, Pakistan’s submarine production capabilities are largely dependent on foreign designs and technology transfers in contrast to India’s indigenous development of nuclear-powered submarines.
Missiles & Weapons Systems: Pakistan has developed some indigenous missile systems, such as the Babur cruise missile, but much of its naval weaponry, including anti-ship missiles and air-defence systems, are sourced from China. This reliance on foreign suppliers limits Pakistan’s self-sufficiency in producing advanced weapons systems.
Dependence on Foreign Partners: Pakistan’s naval modernization efforts are closely tied to its strategic partnerships with China and Turkey. The acquisition of Type 054A/P frigates and Hangor-class submarines is part of a broader strategic relationship with China. While this ensures access to modern platforms, it also restricts Pakistan’s ability to achieve self-reliance in naval defence production.
Comparative Analysis
Scale and Capability: India’s defence production capabilities are far more advanced than Pakistan’s. With the ability to design, develop and construct complex platforms, such as nuclear submarines, aircraft-carriers and advanced missile systems, India is significantly more self-reliant in terms of naval defence production.
Strategic Autonomy: India’s focus on indigenous production under such initiatives as Atmanirbhar Bharat provides it with greater strategic autonomy. In contrast, Pakistan’s reliance on Chinese technology and financial aid limits its ability to achieve similar levels of autonomy in defence production.
Technological Edge: India’s defence industry benefits from a robust R&D ecosystem, enabling the development of such indigenous systems as the Arihant SSBN and BrahMos missiles. Pakistan, while making progress in missile development, lacks the technological base required to develop high-end naval systems independently.
4. Chinese Factor in Pakistan’s Naval Modernization
Dragon Plays an Increasingly Prominent Role
China plays an increasingly prominent role in the modernization of the Pakistani Navy. Through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and broader strategic ties, Beijing has become a critical supplier of naval technology, weapons systems and financial aid to Islamabad.
Strategic Partnership: China’s support for Pakistan’s naval expansion aligns with its broader strategy of enhancing its influence in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The development of Gwadar port, Chinese-built frigates and submarines and technology transfers underscore Beijing’s commitment to bolstering Pakistan’s naval capabilities.
Geopolitical Implications: China’s growing naval presence in the IOR, including its military base in Djibouti and strategic access to Pakistani ports, poses a challenge to India’s dominance in the region. The strengthening of Pakistan’s navy through Chinese aid could alter the regional maritime balance and heighten strategic competition.
In Conclusion
Pakistan’s naval fleet is well-constructed and capable. The country has a coastline of 1,046 kilometres, while India’s coastline stretches for 7,516 kilometres, making it nearly seven times larger. India’s coastline is also more exposed due to its peninsula-like shape, which means the country requires a larger, and more powerful, navy than Pakistan’s.
Although Pakistan’s navy is smaller and lacks advanced stealth weapons, it is still strong enough to defend its coasts given the natural advantages of its coastal geography. Pakistan’s naval strategy is primarily defensive, while India’s navy takes an offensive stance. To maintain a psychological edge in the region, particularly in the South China Sea, India requires aircraft-carriers and battleships.
The evolution of naval power in South Asia reflects the broader geopolitical contest between India and Pakistan, with China playing an increasingly pivotal role. While the Indian Navy continues to build on its indigenous capabilities and expand its blue-water presence, the Pakistani Navy remains focused on modernizing its fleet with Chinese support. These dynamics are reshaping the strategic landscape of the Indian Ocean, with far-reaching implications for regional security and stability.
