PROJECT 75I : INDIAN NAVY IS SPOILT FOR CHOICE

India is now finally getting set to issue the formal tender for the long-pending over Rs 42,000 crore project to make six new-generation stealth submarines domestically with foreign collaboration.

Defence ministry (MoD) sources on Monday said the tender or RFP (request for proposal) “should be issued by next month” to defence shipyard Mazagon Docks (MDL) and private ship-builder L&T for the submarine programme, called Project-75 India (P-75I).

It will be the first project to be launched under the strategic partnership (SP) policy promulgated by the NDA government in May 2017 to boost indigenous production under the overall “Make in India” platform. The submarine or other SP projects will not be impacted by the negative arms import list issued by MoD on Sunday, as was reported by TOI.

India’s current arsenal consists of 14 conventional submarines and two nuclear-powered submarines. 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’.

P75I was first cleared in 2007, but lay dormant until now after undergoing numerous changes.

India’s 30-year plan

The P75I project is part of a 30-year submarine building plan that ends in 2030. As part of this plan, India was to build 24 submarines — 18 conventional submarines and six nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) — as an effective deterrent against China and Pakistan.

Former defence minister Manohar Parrikar had said in 2016 that the submarine plan should continue till 2050, and that India should look to build more than 24 such vessels.

Of the 14 conventional submarines India currently possesses, including the Scorpene, only half are operational at any given point of time. India also has two nuclear-powered submarines — INS Arihant (SSBN, a ballistic missile submarine) and INS Chakra (SSN, a nuclear-powered one) leased from Russia.

The Project 75I-class submarine is a follow-on of the Project 75 Kalvari-class submarine for the Indian navy. Under this project, the Indian Navy intends to acquire 6 diesel-electric submarines, which will also feature advanced Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems to enable them to stay submerged for longer duration and substantially increase their operational range.

The six new submarines for the P-75I project is the next phase of the same submarine project and will be worth over $ 11.10 billion. According to the Indian Navy, the new submarines will differ from the earlier lot since the qualitative requirements have been altered. The new submarines will have air-independent propulsion (AIP) to enable sustenance under water for longer duration. In addition, there will be advanced detection range and combat management system besides better sensors for optimum performance. The weapon system would be a mix of torpedoes and missiles.

The six new submarines in P-75 I project will outline various critical parameters including the weight and design of the submarine. The Project 75I submarines are expected to be bigger than the 1800-ton Scorpene class being built for P-75 project. The AIP systems will enable greater underwater endurance and land-attack missiles. Besides, they will also incorporate stealth, land-attack capability and other technological advancements.
These are expected to form the backbone of India’s conventional submarine force along with the Scorpene submarines procured from the French firm DCNS. The project 75i submarines would have AIP by default unlike the Scorpene submarines.

 

The timely completion of this project is crucial keeping in view the already huge rapidly growing Chinese underwater fleet.

Make in India

Project-75 I, expected to cost over Rs. 60,000 crore, will be one of the first projects awarded to the private sector to build submarines with foreign collaboration under the Make in India initiative.
The Indian navy requested information from firms who had independently designed and constructed a complete modern conventional submarine which is currently in service / undergoing sea trials. The submarine should be capable of operating in open ocean and littoral / shallow waters in dense asw and ew environment and able to undertake following missions:-

Anti surface and anti submarine warfare, Supporting operations ashore, ISR missions, Special force and mining ops.
Prospective collaborators were requested to forward data regarding the following capabilities of the proposed design:-
Maximum diving depth without limitation on number of dives, Maximum operating range (dived-snort-surface) and mission endurance, Air independent propulsion system.
Torpedo tubes with capability to launch long range heavy weight wire guided torpedoes, missiles and method for weapon discharge.Externally launched torpedo decoy system.

Top Contenders

Japan was expected to offer its State-of-the-art Soryu Class Submarines. However, the Soryu class submarines are fitted with lithium-ion battery AIP system while submarines under Project 75I requires a fuel cell AIP system. Due to the technological difference, Japan did not replied to the RFI.
This leaves Rubin Design Bureau (Russia), ThyssenKrupp (Germany), Naval Group (France) and Saab (Sweden) in the fray.

Type 214 submarine By Germany:-

The Type 214 is a diesel-electric submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) hydrogenfuel cells. The Type 214 submarine is derived from the Type 212, but as an export variant it lacks some of the classified technologies of its smaller predecessor, the most important of which is probably the non-magnetic steel hull, which makes the Type 212 submarine difficult to detect using a magnetic anomaly detector.
The submarine are a matchless, cost-effective solution for navies, whose primary operations are anti-surface ship/submarine operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance tasks as well as for special forces operations. It is well equipped to operate in littoral waters to deep ocean patrols. Type 214 submarines are relatively cheaper than other submarines in the category.

Amur-class submarine By Russia

The Amur-class submarine (named for the Amur River), is one of the latest Russian submarine designs. It is advertised as an export version of the Lada-class, a modernised version of the Kilo-class submarine with improved acoustic stealth, new combat systems, and an option for air-independent propulsion (AIP).
These submarines are distinguished by the capability of firing up to 6 missiles simultaneously against sea and coastal targets, state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems and a sonar with a unique passive antenna to detect silent targets at a large range. Acoustic signature of the Amur 1650 submarine is several times lower compared to Kilo class submarines which are currently considered to be the most silent in the world.
The new vessels are the fourth generation of the Kilo submarine family, with two models developed.

Saab A-26 : Saab’s A26 submarine has a proven modular design and silent long-endurance. A26 uses the latest stealth technology and advanced tactical communication to allow submarines to integrate their communications with those of other defence forces. Operational flexibility, together with a comprehensive weapons suite, enables it to carry out a wide variety of missions like Maritime security operations, Intelligence operations, Covert mine countermeasure operations, Special operations by carrying, deploying and retrieving special forces along with equipment and underwater vehicles, Underwater work, Anti-submarine & anti-surface warfare, Mine-laying in covert mode.
The A26 submarines fair very well on paper, but not even a single A26 submarines has been commissioned till date. These submarines are not time proven as others in the category.
Saab’s A-26 is still under development and has delayed many times. It is not in service in any nation’s navy, not even in Swedish Navy. Buying of A-26 will be a bad gamble by the Indian Navy.

Scorpenes : Naval Group’s Scorpene submarines are designed for all types of mission, such as surface vessel warfare, anti-submarine warfare, long-range strikes, special operations or intelligence gathering.
With 14 Scorpenes sold to various nations including India, the Naval Group are looking to extend the sale by bagging Project 75I.
Scorpene are may be the runner-up in the Project 75I. Scorpenes are amongst most advanced submarines. But since India already has ordered 6 of them, India might wanted to buy some other variety than Scorpenes. The Scorpene data leak in 2016, may also keep Indians away from future Scorpenes order.

Barracuda Class Submarine

The Barracuda is designed with pump-jet propulsion instead of the conventional propeller, which will make the submarine quieter than propeller-driven ones. The pump-jet-propelled submarines are also faster and easily manoeuvrable. The conventional version of the Barracuda will have a vertical launch system to launch cruise missiles, a requirement for India’s P75I.
What is, however, more interesting is that India has asked France if it will be willing to help with the nuclear reactor technology. The French appear to be inclined. There is no law prohibiting cooperation on naval nuclear reactors (NNRs) which allowed India to lease the Russian Akula class nuclear attack submarine which is currently in operation with the Indian Navy.
If India is indeed seriously looking at the French NNR, it will mark a move from the highly enriched uranium (HEU) core that powers the Arihant-class SSBN to the low-enriched uranium (LEU) core that powers the French nuclear submarines.

Super Kalvari+ class

While Process to initiate Project 75I tender was started in 2014, Navy is yet to select an Indian shipyard nor any foreign original equipment manufacturer has been selected for the program to move forward. Due to delays in implementing Strategic partnership (SP) model and due to long cumbersome procurement procedure adopted to execute the project, many in Indian Navy fear that Project 75I too will face delays of 4-6 years like its predecessor Project-75 program derailing India’s 30-Year Submarine Building Plan for induction of 24 submarines in a phased manner completely.

With China making rapid increase in its footprint in Indian ocean , Recent reports hint that Navy and Government of India are considering a proposal floated by defence PSU to use Kalvari class submarine as a template to develop a new class of submarine which will replace imported content in the submarine with local alternatives sourced from Nuclear Arihant class project.

Kalvari+ will feature DRDO developed Air-independent propulsion (AIP) system and will also incorporate Vertical launch system (VLS) to launch Submarine launched Cruise missiles (SLCM) like BrahMos and Nirbhay. Kalvari+ will have stretched midsection to accommodate VLS due to which submarine will have higher displacement and will also have improved operational range.
Kalvari+ will have higher indigenized content and will have locally developed submarine Sonar suite, periscope and other sub-systems which India can source from Arihant class project. Kalvari+ not only will reduce timeline required to manufacture this six submarines for Indian navy but it also will help Public and Private sector companies to be better prepared to gain experience and expertise before India can initiate Project-76 which is to be executed after Project 75I.

CONCLUSION :

Indian scientists themselves have developed capabilities to keep submarines submerged for 14 days. So for shallow waters we can even plan out completely indigenous smaller submarines. Australia is going for Short-fin Barracudas submarines because it doesn’t have the wherewithal to make nuclear submarines. India might begin with indigenous AIP-based submarines in the range of 1800 tonnes displacement for Project 75I. Submarines of Short-fin Barracuda class might be rather part of Project 76. It remains to be seen whether DRDO develops its own capabilities by then or eventually seeks foreign collaboration. But planning for even the same has to start from now. Because if we will start construction of a 4700 tonne submarine say by 2021, the first submarine will roll out by 2030.