Defence Ministry issues tender for construction of six P-75(I) indigenous submarines worth Rs 40,000 cr

New Delhi, July 21: As a major initiative towards ‘Make in India’, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), under the Project 75 India or P-75I, has issued a Request of Proposal (RFP) to the two selected Indian Strategic Partners (SP) enhancing strength of the Indian Navy. It shortlisted two companies - M/s Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and M/s Larsen & Tubro (L&T). The project cost is over Rs 40,000 crore.

 

 

 

The Ministry stated that the project is for six Air-Independent Propulsion or AIP-fitted conventional submarines. AIP allows submarines to stay underwater longer than the conventional diesel-electric propulsion systems.

 

 

"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," it said.

 

 

It noted that the shortlisted SPs can collaborate with any of the five shortlisted OEMs, which include Naval Group of France, TKMS of Germany, JSC ROE from Russia, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd of South Korea and Navantia from Spain.

 

“These five foreign firms are the world leaders in the field of conventional submarine design, construction and all other related technologies. The foreign OEMs will be the technology partner in the SP Model. Foreign OEMs will enable SP for construction of submarines, achieving high levels of indigenization, and (Transfer of Technology) for various technologies.”

 

The SPs will bid in partnership with one OEM each, which will 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”.

 

 

The RFP, it said, “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.”

 

The project, the statement mentioned, will boost the core submarine/ship building industry and enhance the manufacturing/ industrial sector along with the ecosystem for associated spares/ systems/ equipment.

 

The Indian Navy planned to acquire 24 new submarines, including six nuclear attack submarines, to bolster its underwater fighting capability under a 30-year program that will end in 2030. Besides, it currently has 15 conventional submarines and two nuclear submarines.

 

 

The Navy has been focusing on significantly bolstering its overall capabilities in view of China's growing efforts to increase its military presence in the Indian Ocean Region. The Indian Ocean, considered the backyard of the Indian Navy, is critical to the country's strategic interests.

 

According to global naval analysts, the Chinese navy currently has over 50 submarines and about 350 ships. The total number of ships and submarines is projected to go past 500 in the next 8-10 years.

 

The Indian Navy is also in the process of procuring 57 carrier-borne fighter jets, 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH) and 123 multi-role helicopters under the strategic partnership model.