Project 75I Race to Build Six New Conventional Submarines for Indian Navy
After the Rafale fighter jets arrived in India, the full attention of the Ministry of Defense has been focused on the Scorpene class attack submarine project stuck for years now. In view of the growing threat of Sino-Pak in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy has stepped up preparations to increase its firepower. The construction of 6 state-of-the-art submarines will be expedited under Project 75I for the Navy.
These submarines will be equipped with stealth technology
The Indian Defense Ministry on 20 June 2019 issued an Expression of Interest to the Indian strategic partners for the construction of 6 submarines powered by diesel electric power under Project-75I. These submarines will be equipped with radar-less technology (stealth technology).
The project has been stuck for four years
This project has been stuck for the last four years. Negotiations were first started in 2017. Which are planned to be made under the Make in India category. Whichever foreign partner will have an agreement to build these submarines, they will have to make them in the country together with the Indian partner. The cost of the project to build these 6 submarines is about 45 thousand crores.
These foreign companies are in line
When the tender for this project was issued in 2017, four top foreign companies of the world came out. These include France’s Navan Group, Russia’s Rosoboron Exporters Rubin Design Bureau, Germany’s Thiesenkrupp Marine Systems and Sweden’s Saab Group. It is believed that one of these companies can be given this tender.
75 India (P75I), which envisages the construction of six conventional submarines with better sensors and weapons and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP). The project has been cleared under the strategic partnership model.
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’.
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.
Source:- Pledge Times
.
