Indian authorities have delivered ex-INS Sindhuvir to the Myanmar Navy recently.
The refurbished Kilo class submarine will be commissioned in to the Myanmar Navy on 24 December to coincide with the force’s founding anniversary.
INS Sindhuvir was commissioned in to the Indian Navy in 1988.
It is a diesel-electric powered platform with a submerged displacement of 3,000 tons.
Myanmar has indicated the ex-Indian submarine will be used for training purposes to establish the country’s underwater warfare capability. It plans to procure additional hulls from Russia, which are also likely to be second hand examples.
The INS Sindhuvir has the capability to launch 3M-54 Kalibre cruise missiles, Type 53 torpedoes and DM-1 mines however Myanmar Navy is unlikely to obtain cruise missiles from India.
Naval intelligence sources stated the Myanmar Navy intends to install Indian-origin heavy torpedoes on its Indian supplied Kilo class submarine as a cost saving measure.
At present the Myanmar Navy is mostly limited to coastal operations. It operates 5 frigates armed with anti-ship missiles of mostly Chinese origin. The frigates however lack any credible air defences to counter modern anti-ship cruise missiles.
There are also three corvettes armed with C-802 anti-ship missiles. The rest of the fleet consists of dozens of small missile and gun boats. A Makassar class Landing Platform Dock (LPD) was delivered by Dae Sun Shipbuilding from South Korea earlier this year. The LPD can carry up to 4 helicopters with landing deck for two Mi-17 helicopters.
