Washington. A new international ranking has been released regarding the most powerful navies of the world, in which the Indian Navy has not found a place in the top-5. In the latest ranking released by the World Directory of Modern Warships and Submarines (WDMMW), India has been ranked seventh, while America is at first and China is at second position. This ranking has come when concerns have continuously increased regarding the naval activities of China and Pakistan in the Indo-Pacific region.
WDMMW’s rankings use a “True Value Rating.” In this, not only the number of warships, but the total combat capability of the Navy, modernization, logistics, attack and defense strength has been made the basis. The top 40 navies of the world have been included in this list.
According to the report, the US Navy remains at the first position due to its unmatched capability and 11 aircraft carriers. Although China has moved ahead in terms of number of ships, America is still on top due to combat capability and global reach. China’s navy has been placed at number two. WDMMW says that due to rapid modernization, China could become the most powerful navy in the world in the coming years. China currently has more than 370 warships and submarines, three aircraft carriers are operational and a fourth is under construction. China aims to build 9 aircraft carriers by 2035.
At the third place is the Russian Navy, which is considered a complex but extremely lethal force due to its nuclear-armed submarines and long-range hypersonic missiles. Russia has a large fleet of ballistic missile submarines and modern nuclear attack submarines. Indonesia has got fourth position and South Korea has got fifth position. South Korea’s navy is counted among the most modern navies in Asia and it is also moving towards building a large aircraft carrier.
Japan is at sixth place and India is at seventh place in the ranking. The Indian Navy has been given a True Value Rating of 100.5. India has two aircraft carriers—INS Vikrant and INS Vikramaditya—19 submarines and two nuclear-powered Arihant-class submarines, which can fire nuclear missiles.
At the same time, Pakistan Navy has got 26th position in this list. Pakistan has no aircraft carriers and its strength is mainly limited to 8 submarines and 28 fleet corps. The new AIP technology submarines being supplied by China are still in the training phase, hence they have not been included in this ranking. Overall, the report points to rapid changes in the global naval balance of power, where China is rising rapidly, while India will have to accelerate its naval modernization to make it to the top-5.
