News Analysis India

Tag: Indian submarines

  • India issues tender for Rs 50,000 crore project to build six submarines

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: In a step seen as game-changing for indigenous defence manufacturing, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Monday issued a tender expected to be worth around Rs 50,000 crores for building six conventional submarines under Project-75 India.

    Ministry of Defence in its statement said, “The request for proposal (RFP) was issued to shortlisted Strategic Partners (SPs) or Indian Applicant Companies for the project viz, M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and M/s Larsen & Tubro (L&T).” The project cost is over Rs 40,000 crore.

    With the RFP issued begins the process of procurement and this is expected to take 12 weeks for the Strategic Partners to select the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and reply back to the MoD.

    The Project-75(I) envisages indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines (including associated shore support, Engineering Support Package, training and spares package) with contemporary equipment, weapons & sensors including Fuel-Cell based AIP (Air Independent Propulsion Plant), advanced torpedoes, modern missiles and state of the art countermeasure systems. 

    This would provide a major boost to the indigenous design and construction capability of submarines in India, in addition to bringing in the latest submarine design and technologies as part of the project. 

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    Indian Navy’s submarine arm has been plagued with obsolescence and is currently operating 12 vintage submarines. Although it has indicted 3 conventional screened class submarines the programme is running late. India has one indigenously manufactured INS Arihant, a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

    As per responses to the Expression of Interest (EoI) received by the government in January 2020 shortlisting of two potential Strategic Partners (SPs), as mentioned above, and five Foreign OEMs was undertaken. 

    The shortlisted SPs to whom the RFP has been issued would be collaborating with any of the shortlisted five Foreign OEMs viz, Naval Group (France),  TKMS (Germany), Rosoboronexport (Russia), Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (South Korea) and Navantia-Spain. 

    These five foreign firms will be the technology partner and will enable SP for the construction of submarines, achieving high levels of indigenization, and ToT for various technologies. 

    As per the MoD, “These OEMs would enable setting up of dedicated manufacturing lines for these submarines in India by providing ToT for submarine design and other technologies and make India the global hub for submarine design and production.”

    As per the MoD, in order to achieve the above the RFP has key features like mandatory level of indigenous manufacture of platforms, ToT for design/ manufacture/ maintenance of submarines and a few critical equipment and systems, setting up of an eco-system in India for such indigenisation and incentivisation for other key technologies, etc. 

    As per the plans, the Indian Navy should be operating 18 conventional submarines, 6 nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs)  and 4 nuclear powered and armed with Ballistic Missile submarines (SSBNs).

  • Defence Ministry approves construction of six advanced submarines for Indian Navy

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry on Friday cleared a mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of around Rs 43,000 crore, in a major decision aimed at significantly boosting India’s naval prowess in the face of rapid expansion of China’s maritime capabilities.

    The submarines will be built under the much-talked-about strategic partnership model that allows domestic defence manufacturers to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms to reduce import dependence, government sources said. The Strategic Partnership (SP) policy intends to encourage broader participation of the private sector, in addition to DPSUs/OFB, in the manufacture of defence platforms and equipment.

    The Ministry of Defence in its statement said, “This project envisages indigenous construction of six conventional submarines equipped with the state-of-the-art Air Independent Propulsion system at an estimated cost of Rs 43,000 crore.” Procurement of Air Defence Guns and Ammunition at an approximate cost of Rs 6,000 crore under the Buy & Make (Indian) category was also approved.

    The decision to approve the project named ‘P-75 India’ was taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

     The sources said the DAC approved the issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFP) or tender to shipbuilder Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and state-owned Mazagaon Docks Ltd (MDL).

    Going by the processes followed in all defence-related manufacturing projects, the first Submarine under the project will get ready in next about 10 years. “In a month, the RFP will be sent to the Indian companies shortlisted under the Strategic Partnership model. They will be given three months to reply. Then the technical evaluation will be done and contracts will be signed.

    Once the contracts are signed, the infrastructure building shall start along with the Transfer of Technology and Training by the OEM and the manufacturing will begin.

    “With this project, the country will be enabled to achieve its 30-year submarine construction programme envisioned by the Government to acquire national competence in submarine construction,.” MoD said. Under the Project 75, six Scorpene Class submarines are already being built in India by the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, under collaboration with M/s Naval Group, France. Indian Navy’s under water combat capabilities have been under question since long due to obsolete submarine force and delay in the manufacturing of the submarines. Till now three submarines have been commissioned under Project 75.

    The SPs in collaboration with OEMs have been mandated to set up dedicated manufacturing lines for these submarines in India. The OEMs would be shortlisted primarily based on their submarine design meeting the Indian Navy’s Qualitative Requirements and qualifying the Transfer of Technology and Indigenous Content (IC) criteria.

    “The overall aim would be to progressively build indigenous capabilities in the private sector to design, develop and manufacture complex weapon systems for the future needs of the Armed Forces,” the MoD said.