MOSCOW: India and Russia have signed an agreement to acquire a second Russian Akula-2 class nuclear-powered attack submarine for the Indian Navy.
According to Russian journal Vedomosti, the agreement was made when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Goa BRICS summit.
The submarine is expected to arrive in India by 2020 or 2021, Hindustan Times reported. It is powered by nuclear energy, but launches land missiles. India already has one Akula 2 submarine that it has been operating since 2011. However, its lease period was 10 years, and India was believed to have been looking for a replacement.
The Akula 2 class submarine, while not the latest class of nuclear powered fast attack submarine in the world, is still considered one of the most advanced. Capable of sailing at speeds up to 35 knots (nearly 65 km per hour) under water, the Akula 2 is among the quietest submarines to have been built by Russia, a defining feature of the boat which makes tracking it underwater very difficult.
The submarine can strike enemy ships, submarines and also targets on the land.
