India's submarine rescue system operated outside the Indian Ocean Region for the first time, with the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle Tiger X docking with allied submarines in the South China Sea on Sept. 23. The deployment occurred at XPR-25, a multinational exercise hosted by Singapore, and marked the operational debut of INS Nistar, India's indigenously designed diving support vessel commissioned on July 18.
The rescue vehicle successfully mated with South Korea's submarine Shin Dol-Seok and Singapore's RSS Invincible. India operates two DSRVs acquired from UK-based James Fisher Defence under a 193 million pound contract signed in 2016, with each system featuring launch equipment, Transfer Under Pressure systems, and 25-year maintenance support.
INS Nistar, built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited and delivered on July 8, spans 118 meters and displaces over 10,000 tons. The vessel carries a 15-ton subsea crane, diving bell, remotely operated vehicles, side-scan sonar, compression chambers, and a self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboat, with helicopter operations supported by a front flight deck.
The rescue vehicle successfully mated with South Korea's submarine Shin Dol-Seok and Singapore's RSS Invincible. India operates two DSRVs acquired from UK-based James Fisher Defence under a 193 million pound contract signed in 2016, with each system featuring launch equipment, Transfer Under Pressure systems, and 25-year maintenance support.
INS Nistar, built by Hindustan Shipyard Limited and delivered on July 8, spans 118 meters and displaces over 10,000 tons. The vessel carries a 15-ton subsea crane, diving bell, remotely operated vehicles, side-scan sonar, compression chambers, and a self-propelled hyperbaric lifeboat, with helicopter operations supported by a front flight deck.
