NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s project on making the next lot of six stealth submarines will hinge upon achieving a high ‘make in India’ content.
India is looking to produce six next-generation stealth conventional submarines at a cost of $5.8 billion (Rs 42,000 crore). The Navy is looking to have 55 to 60 per cent of local content in these six vessels, sources said.
The benchmark of local content has been arrived at seeing the progress of existing submarine construction at Mazagon Docks Limited in making six of the ‘Scorpene-class’ submarines with Naval Group of France. The first six Scorpenes have between 30-40 per cent local content.
Naval Group has promised 60 per cent indigenous content, including high-level technologies like combat systems and air-independent propulsion (AIP) for the next three vessels which were announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France last month.
The AIP that allows conventional submarines to stay underwater for longer periods is one of the critical future technologies. India aims to have own capabilities to manufacture such complex vessels.
Two Indian companies and their respective foreign technology partners have submitted bids to make six conventional diesel-electric-powered stealth submarines in India.
In July last year, the Ministry of Defence had issued a tender inviting global manufacturers to design, develop and manufacture with Indian partners.
Mazagaon Dock Shipyard Limited, a public sector entity, and private company Larsen & Tourbo have submitted their respective bid, sources said. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is MDL’s partner and the Spanish Navantia is partner of L&T.
Whoever of the MDL and L&T wins the bid is expected to get specific transfer technology, including AIP from the foreign partner, and will absorb it in their technology teams.
MDL, in June, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate with TKMS which is a global market leader for non-nuclear submarines based on AIP technology. TKMS is expected to design the submarines as well as do consultancy support for this joint project. The MDL will take responsibility for constructing and delivering the respective submarines.
Larsen & Toubro, in July, signed a teaming agreement (TA) with Navantia. The latter will carry out the design based on its S80 class of submarines, the first of which was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials.
India, as of now, has 16 conventional and one nuclear submarine, much less than the envisaged plan drawn out in 1999 that spoke about having 24 conventional submarines by 2030.
Barring the five Scorpene submarines, rest of the 11 Indian submarines are over 30 years old and are running on extended life cycle.