Why in news?

• The Indian Navy is planning to acquire indigenously-made swimmer delivery vehicles — also known as underwater chariots and midget submarines.
• This is part of efforts to modernise and strengthen the capabilities of its Marine Commandos (MARCOS) for special undersea operations.

What’s in today’s article?

• Marine Commandos (MARCOS)
• The chariots
• News Summary

Marine Commandos (MARCOS)

• About
  • It is a special operations force of the Indian Navy that conducts operations in air, water, and land.
  • MARCOS was founded in February 1987 and is also known as the Marine Commando Force (MCF).
    • MARCOS are modelled after the US Navy SEALs and the Royal Marines.
• Function
  • MARCOS are trained to conduct the following operations:
    • Maritime and amphibious warfare
    • Counter-terrorism
    • Unconventional warfare
    • Rescue missions
    • Reconnaissance
    • Raids
    • Swift and stealthy response in denied territories

The chariots

• About
  • The chariots are highly specialised platforms used by almost all advanced navies in the world.
  • These are self-propelled vehicles which can be launched from ships or submarines, depending on their size and the roles they are to perform.
  • In World War II, manned human torpedoes were referred to as chariots.
  • These chariots come in very handy if the Navy has to operate in shallow waters.
• Function
  • They can be used for a range of missions which include shallow-water surveillance, attacking the adversary’s coastal installations, and even their ships in harbour.
  • The chariots allow marine commandos to access areas close to the adversary’s harbour – which submarines are not able to reach due to shallow waters.
  • These chariots aid transportation of weapons and equipment to areas of operations.
• Use of chariots in India
  • Not much information is publicly available on the swimmer delivery vehicles currently used by the Navy.
  • Some sources point to the use of Italian-made chariots by the Navy for several years now.
  • Around 2012, the Ministry of Defence had asked Hindustan Shipyard Limited to build two of these submarines.

News Summary: Navy plans to get undersea chariots, made in India, for special operations

• These chariots will be able to carry a crew of at least six and will be powered by lithium-ion batteries.
• The size of these delivery vehicles will enable divers to carry bigger cylinders in the chariots.
  • This will let them stay underwater for longer hours. This, in turn, will enhance the overall operational range in shallow waters.
• The size of the chariots will also permit carriage of additional weapons for various operations.