The arrival of the akula class-ii nuclear submarines would have completed the nuclear weapon triad for india -ability to fire weapons from land ,air and sea. More over the indigeniously built agni -3 missiles with a range well over 2000 miles and the brahmos supersonic missile are being inducted.

sagarika, london, uk

Rakesh Kumar - £415 million will cure a lot of the appalling poverty in India rather than a rubbish russian sub that will barely work. There is a reason they are leasing them off.....

Mike, Brighton, UK

Anyone who is stupid enough to buy clapped-out and malfunctioning products off the Russians, military or otherwise, deserves everything they get. If the Indians want to buy the best military equipment, they should buy from the USA or the UK, but I guess they think the cheap alternative is best.....

J Roberts, Manchester, UK

TJ - Within a generation India and China will probably have completely eclipsed the USA in terms of economic size. No reason why they should not do so militarily. I for one would welcome a strong democratic India to counter balance a totalitarian China.

Andrew, London,

So India is buying a submarine which will be built of compenents made in India,but assembled in Russia,for the Indians? I dont understand?

Chris, Rochdale, UK

T. J. Cassidy, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.

Each country has its own risk assessment wrt to its geo-polictical situation. USA visualises that in future the challenge to its dominance would come from China- this is also the assessment of India and hence the need for a standing-army & submarines!

Sushant Pandit, New delhi, India

In current world, for every self reliable - independant nation, It is necessary to have nuclear weapons for defence. It can only stop acquiring the same if and only if all other countries are getting rid of it. We should appreciate russian testing of the equipment before delivering it to India.

Adeeb, Thiruvananthapuram, India

All countries should stop wasting so much of money on nuclear weapons, this money should go towards basic necessities of life such as food, shelter, education & health care needs of people in their respective countries. When will the Politicians & Defence personnel understand this?

Pushpa Srinivas, Brisbane, Australia

All countries on this earth must stop spending so much of money on Nuclear weapons. This money should be used towards basic necessities of lives like Food, Shelter, Education & Health Care needs of people in their respective countries. When will the Politicians & Defence Personnel understand this?

Pushpa Srinivas, Brisbane, Australia

Rakesh Kumar, New Delhi, India,

Indeed? What power vacuum does India fill with such weapons?

T. J. Cassidy, Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A.

What an incomensurate compensation to be paid for the life of men who served their country selflessly... let the haed of the Russian military die in such a circumstance and lets know if they will pay such little money to his family.
They are gonna make 650 million usd by leasing this sub

Victor, Lagos, Nigeria

the indians were going to pay 650 million dollars for the sub; why then did gordon brown give over 800 million pounds of british tax-payers money in aid to india last year? 800 million pounds would replace a lot of snatch land-rovers in afghan!

james, doncaster, uk

To Jay:
The same reason why US has them. Simple.

Rakesh Kumar, New Delhi, India

Mr Kevin should read about how much his beloved US of A compensated the poor victims of the Bikini Atoll and try to estimate how much they should pay to the victims in Iraq.

Only then he should comment on what other countries should pay its victims.

J Lewis, Calcutta, India

Why does India need Nuclear Attack Subs?????

Jay, Colorado Springs, USA

Mr Halpin, without saying that the submarine to be leased to India won't carry missiles with range of 3000km but much inferior 300 km conventional missiles , you give people the impression that the Indian navy will control a superweapon. Russia cannot export such a weapon under the MTCR treaty.

Dimitris, Mykonos, Greece

Admiral Vladimir Vysotsky should pay out 100K per victom. - Total for all the victoms: 2 million. charge India an extra 5 million for the accident, and give the victoms familes 2 million. 3 million for repairs, and other expenses.

3,700 is too cheap. - sorry for the victom familes.

kevin, redlands, united states