Indian Navy - Rambilli Naval Base

Naval Alternative Operations Base (NAOB) project of the Indian Navy at Rambilli in the district will be completed in the next five to six years as land acquisition is almost over and project work has already begun, a top Indian Navy official said here on Friday.

According to sources, the state government has allocated more than 5,000 acres to the Indian Navy at Rambilli mandal in the district and except for a few local problems, the project work has been proceeding at a fast pace.

The senior naval official also revealed that the proposed Very Low Frequency (VLF) Communications station project in Ranga Reddy district needs an initial investment of Rs 1,000 crore.

Site for Rambilli Naval Base ( Image Courtesy - thehindu.com) 

"The Navy has already got the first phase of clearances from the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the VLF station. For the next phase of clearances from MoEF, the Navy needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Telangana government, which is expected soon," said the top official, adding that the Navy opted for Ranga Reddy district as it is a strategic location for the VLF station.

"Navy needs a huge chunk of land as the antennas are very big in size. With this VLF station, the Indian Navy can communicate with vessels and men even underwater," he added.

Meanwhile, sources said the Navy was not ready to move out of the existing Visakhapatnam airport, which is under their control. "The Navy will not move out of the INS Dega airstrip because it is a strategic location. However, the Navy will not oppose any development works at the airport by the aviation ministry. It will develop its own airstrips at various places like Badangi near Bobbili in Vizianagaram district but will continue to hold onto INS Dega," a source said.

News Courtesy - timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian Navy - Karwar Naval Base - Progress Update

The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), has cleared the Rs 13,000 Crore expansion plan for the Karwar naval base in coastal Karnataka, which will eventually house two aircraft carriers, INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant.

“Inaugurated by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in October 1986, work on phase-I of the project was completed after two decades at a cost of Rs 2,628.82 crore. In phase-I, berthing facilities for 11 ships and 10 yard crafts were created, along with an airstrip and a residential township. The initial cost estimate was Rs 350 crore.

Karwar Naval Base ( Image Courtesy - defenseindustrydaily.com )

In phase-II, berthing facility will be enhanced significantly, besides creating a dockyard and a full-fledged airbase. There will also be logistics and other support centres, a Navy officer said. After its completion, the Karwar base will house 30 warships. 

On Monday, Defence Minister A K Antony informed Parliament that expansion of the Karwar Naval base was in line with India's strategic concerns and operational readiness. The delay in approving phase-II of Project Sea Bird was due to unavailability of Indian companies which are eligible to undertake projects of such magnitude.

News Courtesy - deccanherald.com

Project Varsha - Indian Naval Base - Progress Report

In what is seen as a bid to entrench its presence beyond Bay of Bengal into the East Asian waters and the Pacific Rim, Indian Navy is all geared to get an exclusive sea port for its eastern-bound warships.

Ramkonda, a quite hamlet on the Coromandel coast some 50 kms east of Vishakapatnam, was chosen for building the new marine base. The work on the Project Varsha began in 2005, and when completed, it is expected to be a gem of the Indian Navy.

Seen by many as another step in fulfilling the ambitions of India’s ‘Look East policy, Project Varsha is expected to be the largest such base in the country once it is completed. Experts claim that Ramkonda’s proximity to Vishakapatnam, which is the headquarters of Eastern Naval Command and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is what prompted Indian Navy to build a base there.

INS Chakra, expected to be home ported at this future Eastern Naval Base ( Image Courtesy - indrus.in ) 

With an expanding warships’ fleet which has already touched 46 and will soon see induction of nuclear powered submarine INS Arihant, the strength of Eastern Naval command is now on par with India’s western Naval command.

And with Admiral Joshi hinting that India would co-operate with Vietnam in competing with China for natural resources in the South China sea and beyond, a prominent naval base in East was long overdue.

Interestingly, Project Varsha is being built on the same line of motives as Project Seabird. While Seabird, located on the coast of Karnataka, was built to have an eye on Pakistan, Varsha is seen by many as manifestation of India’s ambitions in South China Sea and counteracting the growing Chinese might in the region.

News Courtesy - daily.bhaskar.com