In line with existing defense cooperation, India has signed a contract with Russia to procure anti-ship cruise missiles for the country’s submarine fleet.
This was announced by the Indian Ministry of Defence via social media platform X, without disclosing details of the specific missile type, total number of orders, cost, or delivery schedule.
The missiles will reportedly arm the Indian Navy’s Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarines, a domestic variant of Moscow’s Kilo-class submarines, according to Russian state media TASS, citing an Indian news outlet.
Possible Weapon
Speculation suggests the missile is the Klub-S, the Russian Novator Design Bureau’s submarine-launched export version of the 3M-54 Kalibr anti-ship missile.
The Klub-S is already in service with New Delhi’s Sindhughosh-class submarines, providing long-range, precision strike capabilities, as each missile operates at an altitude of 10 to 15 meters (32 to 49 feet) against naval and ground targets for a maximum range of 300 kilometers (186 miles).
Meanwhile, the submarines could also be equipped with the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile, according to Chennai Centre for China Studies head retired Commodore Seshadri Vasan in a quote shared with Russia’s state-owned news outlet Sputnik India.
Used by the Kremlin to attack Ukraine in February last year and deployed aboard Moscow’s Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, the Zircon can reportedly travel at speeds of Mach 9 and hit adversaries from over 965 kilometers (600 miles) away.
