India is preparing to deliver a Sindhughosh-class (Kilo-class) diesel-electric attack submarine that was in service with the Indian Navy as INS Sindhuvir to the Myanmar Navy. The INS Sindhuvir was refurbished by Hindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam. India and Myanmar had agreed to train personnel for the new submarine fleet at the submarine training base at Visakhapatnam. The transfer will also include operational and maintenance training to the Myanmar Navy, which will be operating a submarine for the first time. However, it is unclear if this represents a lease or a permanent transfer.
The transfer of the submarine is likely to take place with a line of credit (LoC) that has been extended by India to Myanmar for enhancing military capability. As part of the capacity building, earlier this month India supplied Myanmar with advanced light torpedoes named `Shyena’ as part of a $ 38 million export deal that was signed in 2017. The torpedoes were manufactured by the state owned Bharat Dynamics Limited. China had also been in talks with Myanmar for the supply of its older submarines but the Kilo class (Project 877) being transferred by India is significantly more capable that the Ming class that was sold by China and is suitable for operations in the region as has been demonstrated by the Indian Navy.
INS Sindhuvir (S58) is a Sindhughosh-class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy.Sindhughosh-class submarines are Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines in active service with the Indian Navy. Their names are in Sanskrit, but in their Roman-alphabet forms sometimes a final short -a is dropped. The Sindhughosh submarines, designated 877EKM, were designed as part of Project 877, and built under a contract between Rosvooruzhenie and the Ministry of Defence (India). The submarines have a displacement of 3,000 tonnes, a maximum diving depth of 300 meters, top speed of 18 knots, and are able to operate solo for 45 days with a crew of 53.
