New Delhi: Government-owned Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) has got the Indian Navy's approval to build six submarines with the project worth Rs 60,000 crore. The MDL in partnership with Germany's ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems will build the submarines that are being developed under 'Project 75 India'.
MDL and ThyssenKrupp were competing against Larsen & Toubro and Navantia. The approval came after the MDL was informed by a Commodore-rank officer of the Indian Navy (Brigadier equivalent in the Army) that they had qualified for the trial requirements.
The Indian Navy had held trials for building the 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. MDL and Larsen and Toubro were the two contenders in the project with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and Spanish Navantia as their respective partners.
The Navy officer from the submarine acquisition directorate 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, sources said. The government is 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. (With agency inputs)
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