UNDERWATER SUBMARINE KIDS SERIES

This is interesting considering the Kiel-based defence manufacturing giant had shown no interest in jointly manufacturing submarines in India when the tender was announced two years ago.Įxperts note that Germany’s push to boost defence ties with India comes owing to the Ukraine war and also China’s continued aggression. Germany has been pushing efforts to supply New Delhi with modern military gear. If Berlin and New Delhi ink this submarine deal, India is not the only winner. Second, Chinese are going to be positioning a lot more ships and submarines in the Indian Ocean in the coming years.” Commodore (retired) Anil Jai Singh, who commanded four submarines, served in the Directorates of Naval Plans and Submarine Acquisition at Naval Headquarters, and was involved in drafting the Navy’s 30-year submarine construction plan, was quoted as telling Indian Express earlier, “First, we need it for our own maritime security. The Asian Dragon has 60 submarines in its arsenal whereas Islamabad has eight diesel-electric submarines.Įxperts note that this number is less than the number of submarines that is required to ensure our waters are safe and also protect it from a more aggressive and expansionist China. Of the 17 SSKs, four are of Shishumar Class, which were bought and then built in India in collaboration with the Germans starting 1980s seven are Kilo Class or Sindhughosh Class submarines bought from Russia (including erstwhile USSR) between 19 and six are Kalvari Class built in India at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited.Ĭompare this to India’s neighbours – China and Pakistan. INS Vagsheer, the sixth such submarine, is expected to be inducted next year.Īccording to Indian Express, India also has two nuclear ballistic submarines. The last submarine to be commissioned by India was the INS Vagir in January this year. Currently, India has 17 conventional diesel-electric submarines, which are classified as SSKs. If Germany bags the contract, it will come as a big boost to India’s naval strength. This was further extended to December 2022 and again extended to August this year.Īccording to experts, even if all goes smoothly and Germany bags the contract, the earliest the first P-75I submarine can be commissioned is around 2032.

UNDERWATER SUBMARINE KIDS SERIES

After a series of issues were raised regarding liability clauses and other difficulties, the deadline was extended to June 2022. The P-75I project has been in choppy waters ever since the Nirmala Sitharaman-headed Defence Acquisition Council cleared the much-awaited project under which six submarines were to be built.Īs per the original plan, Indian shipyards had to submit a consolidated bid with a foreign collaborator in 2021. It is said that AIP permits a submarine to remain under water for more than a fortnight, compared to two-three days for diesel-powered boats.įollowing France’s withdrawal, Germany and South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Company have been in the fray, but the Korean submarine pitched is reportedly based on a German design. India is insistent on the AIP technology, as it allows a conventional submarine to remain submerged for much longer than ordinary diesel-electric submarines.

Announcing their withdrawal, Laurent Videau, country and managing director, Naval Group India, had said: “The present request for proposal (RFP) requires that the fuel cell AIP (air-independent propulsion) be sea proven, which is not the case for us yet since the French Navy does not use such propulsion system.” Germany has become the frontrunner for the submarine deal after France’s defence company Naval Group announced in May 2022 that it would not be able to join the P-75I project. Under the strategic partnership model, an Indian shipyard will be selected by the government, which will also nominate the foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) under the overall arch of ‘Make in India’. PTIįor the unaware, the P-75 India, or P-75I project, envisages the construction of six conventional submarines with better sensors and weapons and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius in New Delhi. We think that’s right,” the German defence minister said. “We support the ‘Make in India’ principle favoured by India. Speaking on the same, Pistorius said, “We are talking about a deal of TKMS… about six submarines but of course the procedure is not finished yet but I think the German industry is at a good place in that race.”Īlso read: Why Germany should pursue defence ties with India independent of anti-Russia alliance The submarines will be built through a strategic partnership (SP) mode, under the Project called P-75 India. Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is looking to bag a contract to build six submarines for India in a Rs 43,000 crore deal.

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