How large a fleet could India have supported in the 1920s and 1930s with sustained investment?
Short answerRoughly a cruiser squadron, two destroyer flotillas, a similar number of sloops, and a substantial submarine force without intolerable financial strain.
NotesThe proposed force combines cruisers for presence, destroyers and sloops for screening and patrol, and submarines for a lower-cost striking arm. This would be ambitious but supportable rather than a fleet that breaks India's finances. It provides a concrete baseline for later discussion of Indian and Australian weight in Far Eastern defense.