Indian Tu-142s Track Chinese Subs

December 15, 2005: India is usually pretty quiet about their naval reconnaissance capabilities, but they came out into the open recently, to note how their Russian built Tu-142F recon aircraft had spotted two Russian built Kilo submarines being transported to China. The subs are being carried aboard a large Chinese cargo ship, and were first spotted in late November, around the Cape of Good Hope (off South Africa). The Indian aircraft, which have an endurance of some 16 hours, shadowed the Chinese ship as it passed through the Indian ocean. China has ordered four Kilos from Russia, and these are the last two to be delivered. The Kilo, especially these late models, are comparable to diesel-electric boats built elsewhere in Europe. India operates five Tu-142Fs.