India: Navy's shrinking submarine fleet a concern

The navy's "shrinking" submarine fleet is a matter of concern, new naval chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta has said.

A plan has already been put in place to raise the strength of the submarine arm, he said.

"Our (submarine) levels are certainly shrinking and it's a cause for concern," Mehta, who took over as chief on November 1, told Times Now channel.

"We haven't built a submarine for over 14-15 years now. As ships and submarines get older, they need to be phased out," he said.

"We expect to set the situation right. The ball has already been set rolling," he said.

Mehta said, "The first of these (new submarines) will start coming out in eight-nine years and then simultaneously, hopefully we should get some more in the pipeline so that we are able to stablise the situation in 15 years or so."

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