About the Book
This volume of the Navy's history covers the period 1976 to 1990. It examines the Navy's success in keeping abreast of advances in technology in step with progressive self-reliance.
In a decade and a half of innovation, the Navy equipped its indigenously built frigates, corvettes and other vessels with combinations of the latest available weapons and equipment from the Soviet Union, from Europe and from indigenous sources. A tiny 'ship design cell' that in 1965 was designing yard craft was by 1990 designing an aircraft carrier, submarines and missile destroyers.
The new acquisitions from the Soviet Union ranged from missile destroyers, conventional submarines and long-range reconnaissance aircraft to minesweepers. The acquisitions from Britain included the aircraft carrier Viraat, V/STOL Sea Harrier carrier borne fighter aircraft and Seaking helicopters in anti submarine and commando versions. A fleet tanker, landing ships and conventional submarines were acquired from Europe, the submarines as a precursor for commencing their construction in India.
All these hi-tech inductions needed to be operated and manned by better-educated and better-trained personnel. New maintenance, repair and refit facilities had to be created. The increase in the volume of spares and the diversity of sources compelled modernization of the logistics system. This volume analyses how these problems were tackled.
Between 1987 and 1990, Operation Pawan in Sri Lanka provided valuable experience of supporting troops from seaward and of low intensity conflict in confined waters. This operation is discussed in the context of the strategic sensitivity of India's southern seaboard.