India is on the verge of acquiring new undersea launched cruise missiles which will give it capability to strike at targets on land even when the vessel is far from the shore, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported today. The Club-S cruise missiles will come armed in early August on Indian Navy's newly upgraded Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhuvijay, according to Naval sources here. Sindhuvijay will be the first of Kilo-class submarines to be fitted with this land attack version of the high-technology Club-S cruise missile, which has a range of 275 nautical miles. "The high-precision missile can be launched from standard torpedo tubes from a depth of 35 to 40 meters, " a source said. Sindhuvijay is the fourth Indian Navy Kilo-class submarine that has been overhauled at Zvezdochka shipyard in northern Russia. Besides the land attack version, the submarines are armed with 3M-54EI anti-ship cruise missiles. Labeled by NATO as one of the quietest submarines in the world, the upgraded Kilo-class vessels have undergone extensive changes in the hull along with acquiring improved control systems, sonars, new electronic warfare systems and an integrated weapon control system.
