By Li Xian | 2025-05-12

The Indian navy has made marked progress on many fronts as it prepares to match China in the Indian Ocean, including on warship commissioning, missile testing, fighter aircraft procurement and base construction.

Most recently, the Indian Ministry of Defense agreed on April 28 to purchase from France 26 Rafale-M fighters, which have carrier-based combat capabilities and are expected to be delivered between 2028 and 2030.

In another move to strengthen the navy's maritime posture, first-phase construction is under way at the Rambilli strategic nuclear submarine base in Andhra Pradesh, a crucial facility designed to bolster India's nuclear deterrence of China's growing naval power.

Equipped with submarine tunnels and sea barrier facilities, the base will help India's nuclear submarines deploy covertly and carry out long-range deterrence missions, the Times of India reported in April.

The Rambilli base will support India's nuclear ballistic missile submarine force, including the new INS Aridhaman submarine, Walter Ladwig, a South Asia security scholar at King's College London, told the South China Morning Post in April.

The base will "enhance the [navy's] ability while maintaining operational secrecy for their nuclear submarine fleet, which is crucial for a secure second-strike capability," he added.

Meanwhile in January, the Indian navy commissioned three domestically built warships, including the INS Vaghsheer submarine, at the same time.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally presided over the launch ceremony and stressed, "Today's India is emerging as a major maritime power in the world."

The launch of the three warships was key to India's "quest towards self-reliance" as New Delhi bolsters defense against regional rivals, he said.

Growing threat

The Chinese navy has rapidly modernized in recent years and has become the world's largest naval fleet with more than 370 combat ships, including aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and advanced destroyers.

At the same time, China continues to expand its influence in the Indian Ocean, encircling India with its "String of Pearls strategy" by strengthening its base in Djibouti and building port facilities with neighboring countries such as Myanmar.

As China's naval power increases multifold, challenges in the Indian Ocean region are increasingly grave.

Adm. Dinesh Tripathi, chief of the Naval Staff of India, has repeatedly voiced concern about China's military expansion in the Indian Ocean.

While China initially deployed its fleet under the pretext of combating piracy, it continues to maintain a sustained presence of six to eight warships in the region even after a significant decline in such activity, he said.

"China has been expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean Region for decades, both on land and at sea," he said in February at a forum in Guwahati, India, according to the Assam Tribune.

India has established advanced maritime domain awareness capabilities through the integration of unmanned systems, satellite-based tracking and international intelligence sharing to effectively monitor China's movements, he said.

"That is more than half the battle won because we know who goes where," Tripathi stressed.

Targeting China

India's current wave of military buildup "is all targeted at China," Shen Ming-shih, a researcher at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told Focus.

China's deployment of J-20 fighters in Xinjiang poses an aerial threat to India, he said.

To enhance its ability to counter them, India continues to purchase Rafale fighters. The United States is considering F-35 sales to India.

In addition to carrier deployment, the purchased Rafale-Ms are capable of taking off from air bases in northern India, a senior Indian official said, according to a report in May by India Today.

"This dual-role capability ensures India can project power across multiple fronts, from maritime chokepoints like the Malacca Strait to contested Himalayan borders, countering China's carrier-driven power projection," the official said.

India's strategy is "defense in the north and offense in the south," emphasizing stronger maritime projection capabilities in central and southern India, added Shen.

This strategy includes developing intercontinental missiles and improving the combat power of aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, with the goal of enhancing "nuclear deterrence and maritime suppression power against China."

India has conducted many joint exercises in the South China Sea with Southeast Asian countries, Japan and other countries, proving its navy's ability to deploy in distant waters, said Shen.