India to Receive Leased Russian $3B Nuclear-powered Submarine in 2028

India will receive a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine in 2028 under a $3 billion lease agreement signed with Russia back in 2019.

India and Russia signed the 10-year lease in March 2019 for a mothballed Akula-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, expected to be commissioned as INS Chakra III. The delivery was originally scheduled for 2025 but has now been pushed to 2028 due to refurbishment requirements and wider global disruptions.

The submarine will reportedly be used strictly for training Indian Navy crews and building operational expertise in handling nuclear-powered submarines. Under the contract, it is barred from active combat deployment and nuclear deterrence patrols, as it will not be armed with long-range nuclear missiles.

The agreement includes refurbishment of the vessel in Russia, integration of Indian communication systems and sensors, and Russian maintenance and logistical support throughout the lease period.

On December 4, the Indian government formally rejected recent media reports claiming a fresh $2 billion submarine deal was signed. The Press Information Bureau said the reports misrepresented the existing 2019 contract and confused updated delivery timelines with a new agreement.

“The headline of an article by Bloomberg claims that ‘India Clinches $2 Billion Russia Submarine Deal as Putin Visits.’ The claim made in this headline is misleading. No new deal has been signed between India and Russia. The submarine lease is based on an old contract that was signed in March 2019. There has been a delay in the delivery, and the new delivery is scheduled for 2028,” the PIB said.

This marks India’s third leased Russian nuclear-powered submarine. The first INS Chakra served from 1988 to 1991. The second operated from 2012 until it was returned in 2021 after its lease ended.

India currently operates 17 diesel-electric submarines, while its ballistic missile submarines forming the sea-based nuclear deterrent are domestically built.