MOSCOW. June 3 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia's Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine will be leased to the Indian Navy in October 2010, a representative of the Navy Staff told Interfax-AVN on Thursday.
"The Nerpa will be leased in October, and an Indian crew will navigate the sub to a new base. That will happen by the Hindu New Year," he said.
The source lauded the professionalism of Indian sailors. "The future crew of the Chakra is studying our Nerpa and learning all intricacies of our nuclear-powered submarine," he said.
It was planned to hand over the submarine to India in the middle of 2008 under the name of Chakra. Yet a self-induced start of the Nerpa fire fighting system killed 20 in November 2008, and tests were extended.
The leasing contract costs $650 million.
Nerpa of Project 971 (Shchuka-B, NATO code name Akula) belongs to the third generation. It carries torpedoes and Granat cruise missiles with a shooting range of 3,000 kilometers. The submarine has a displacement of 8,140-12,777 tonnes, a maximum speed of 30 knots, a maximum depth of submersion of 600 meters, an autonomous voyage of 100 days and a crew of 73. Fifteen submarines of the project have been built since 1984.