Defence ministry issues tender for 6 submarines

Press Trust of India

The defence ministry on Tuesday issued the request for proposal (RFP), or the formal tender to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Navy, at a cost of over ₹40,000 crore, over a month after the mega acquisition project was cleared.

It will be the first project to be implemented under the strategic partnership (SP) model that allows domestic firms to collaborate with foreign players to produce high-end military platforms in India.

The RFP was issued to the Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T), the two Indian companies shortlisted following a long-drawn process, according to the defence ministry.

Both L&T and MDL will have to collaborate with one of the five already short-listed foreign shipyards -- Daewoo Shipbuilding (South Korea), Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (Germany),

NEW DELHI:

Navantia (Spain) and Naval Group (France) and JSC Roe(russia).

“These five foreign firms are the world leaders in the field of conventional submarine design, construction and all other related technologies. The foreign OEMS (original equipment maker) will be the technology partner in the SP model,” the defence ministry said.

“Foreign OEMS will enable SP for construction of submarines, achieving high levels of indigenization, and transfer of technology (TOT),” it said in a statement.the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) last month approved the issuance of the request for proposal (RFP) for the acquisition programme named Project-75(i).

The ministry said the OEMS would enable the setting up of dedicated manufacturing lines for the submarines in India by providing TOT for submarine design and other technologies and make India the global hub for submarine design and production.