India Gets Submarine Rescue System

Prelims level : Defense Mains level : GS 3: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.
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Context:

  • The Indian Navy joined a select group of naval forces in the world on Wednesday when it inducted its first non-tethered Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) system at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai.

Details:

  • With this, India joins a select league of navies with the sovereign capability in fly away configuration to search, locate and rescue crew from a disabled submarine.
  • The second vehicle that is out for delivery, is expected to reach Visakhapatnam soon. It will be operational by April next year.

Need of DSRV:

  • The nature of operations undertaken by submarines expose them to high degree of inherent risk. In such an eventuality, traditional methods of search and rescue at sea are ineffective for a disabled submarine. To overcome this capability gap, the Navy has acquired a third generation, advanced Submarine Rescue System considering of a non-tethered DSRV and its associated equipment.

Details of DSRV:

  • Using a third-generation system, the DSRV is considered to be the most advanced system currently in operation globally.
  • The DSRV is used to rescue crew members from submarines stranded under water in the high seas.
  • The DSRV can be operated at a depth of 650 meters and can rescue 14 people at a time.
  • The state-of-the-art system is also equipped with a decompression chamber that can accommodate submariners and a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which can be used to beam images and provide immediate assistance.
  • The Western Naval Command had recently successfully held trials with actual simulations with different classes of submarines.
  • The DSRV can also be transported by air, enabling it to conduct rescue operations across the globe
  • The induction of the DSRV marks the culmination of years of effort of the Navy in acquiring this niche submarine rescue capability. It is the latest in terms of technology and capability.

About Deep-submergence vehicle:

  • A deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) is a deep-diving manned submarine that is self-propelled. Several navies operate vehicles that can be accurately described as DSVs.
  • DSVs are commonly divided into two types: research DSVs, which are used for exploration and surveying, and DSRVs (Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle), which can be used for rescuing the crew of a sunken navy submarine, clandestine (espionage) missions (primarily installing wiretaps on undersea cables), or both.
  • DSRVs are equipped with docking chambers to allow personnel ingress and egress via a manhole.
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