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In the Rs 60,000 crore project to build six advanced conventional submarines, government-owned Mazagaon Dockyards Limited (MDL) has got an edge as it has cleared crucial trials in the programme.
The Indian Navy had held trials for building six advanced submarines with sea-proven Air Independent Propulsion systems which can help the boats to remain underwater for at least two weeks without the need to resurface to charge batteries at regular smaller intervals. Mumbai-headquartered MDL and Larsen and Toubro are the two contenders in the project with German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Spanish Navantia as their respective partners. The MDL has been informed by a Commodore-rank officer of the Indian Navy (Brigadier equivalent in the Army) that they have qualified for the trial requirements, defence sources told reporters. Meanwhile, the Navy officer from the submarine acquisition directorate has communicated to Larsen and Toubro about deviations in their trials held in Cartagena in Spain in June this year where they demonstrated their system at a submarine base, they said. The submarine programme is in the middle stages and it has to pass through various stages at higher level in the Defence Ministry and top level of the government for clearance, the sources said. The government is also focusing on providing more strength to the underwater fleet of the force and has cleared multiple programmes for it. The Indian Navy's long-term submarine acquisition plan was modified post-2014 to have 18 conventional and 6 nuclear attack submarines. Project 75 with six Sciroene class boats has been extended to have three more boats from there while Project 75 India will see six conventional submarines getting built in an Indian shipyard. The next-gen Project 76 to build six conventional submarines with complete Indian design and construction has also been activated and was on the 100-day agenda of the Defence Ministry. The futuristic project would be taken up by the DRDO and Navy together. The P-75 India has been in the making for the last few years and due to its stringent requirements, many international firms could not participate as they did not have the capabilities required for it. (ANI)
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