India is adding a powerful nuclear submarine to its naval fleet. The new nuclear submarine is a large, 13,500 ton, Akula II Class submarine obtained from Russia. According to one report I saw at a private internet website, which I cannot attach as a link, this submarine can fire nuclear-tipped cruise missiles as well as conventionally-tipped cruise missiles.
It is ironic that India is obtaining this nuclear Russian submarine given that India needs it to counter China’s rising military power, and that the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy indicates Russia and China will be allies in the Gog-Magog alliance in the latter days while India will not be part of that alliance (see my articles, What Ezekiel 38-39 Reveals about a Future World War III [PDF] and Japan’s Role in Biblical Prophecy). It is also interesting that India did not buy the submarine outright, but leased it for ten years. I suspect that India did so as it expects to have its own indigenous submarine-building capacity in place within ten years.
At any rate, this submarine will give India a needed counterweight to China’s current military advantage over India. If it can fire nuclear-tipped cruise missiles, it will pose a major strategic threat to China, India’s main military rival. The first link reports that India “joins Japan, Australia and the US” in a “naval alliance aptly dubbed the ‘axis of democracies’ ” in protecting sea-lanes in Asian waters. The second link offers a montage of photographs which gives one the ability to see the immense size of this submarine. The third link includes information that this Russian submarine is just the first installment in a major weapons purchase India is making from Russia. India also intends to buy from Russia a Soviet/Russian carrier (the old Kiev), two frigates and over 70 warplanes. India has long bought many of its weapons from Russia, and this purchase goes to show that when it comes to the international arms industry, there are some pretty odd bedfellows at times, given the way that alliances are being remade in the modern world.
One final thought: Given that Russia has a strategic alliance with China and the fact that this submarine poses a strategic threat to China in the hands of the Indian navy, I’m hoping that Russia didn’t include well-hidden “self-destruct” or “homing” mechanisms (which could be activated by a satellite signal) in the submarine that India isn’t expected to be able to find. Given the budding Indian-American military alliance, I’m sure American naval experts will be looking for such devices if India asks them to look for them.
http://goo.gl/XplX4 [Shortened URL for Google search results]
