INDIA CLEARS KEY PROJECT TO BUILD SIX HIGH-TECH SUBS
NEW DELHI: The Union defence ministry on Friday cleared a project worth ₹43,000 crore for building six advanced submarines in the country under the government’s “strategic partnership” (SP) model to bolster the Indian Navy’s underwater force levels, and counter the rapid expansion of China’s submarine fleet, defence ministry officials said.
The defence acquisition council (DAC), India’s apex procurement body, approved the proposal at a meeting on Friday, and the navy is soon expected to issue requests for proposal (RFP) for the programme, called P-75 India, the officials said.
This will be the first RFP to be issued under the SP model, which seeks to provide a fillip to the government’s Make in India programme, said one of the officials cited above. The model envisages indigenous manufacturing of major defence platforms by an Indian strategic partner who will collaborate with a foreign original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to set up production facilities in the country.
The new submarines will be equipped with air independent propulsion (AIP) systems that will enable the vessels to stay underwater for longer periods and enhance their combat capabilities, said a second official.
In January 2020, the defence ministry cleared two Indian and five foreign shipbuilders to take part in the project to build hightech submarines.
THE MINISTRY ALSO APPROVED PROPOSALS RELATING TO CAPITAL ACQUISITIONS OF VARIOUS MILITARY WEAPONS AND EQUIPMENT
The Defence Ministry on Friday cleared a mega project to domestically build six conventional submarines for the Indian Navy at a cost of around ₹43,000 crore, in a major decision aimed at significantly boosting India’s naval prowess in the face of China rapidly expanding its maritime capabilities.
The submarines will be built under the much-talked-about strategic partnership model that allows domestic defence manufacturers to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce high-end military platforms to reduce import dependence. The Defence Ministry also approved proposals relating to capital acquisitions of various military weapons and equipment worth around ₹6,800 crore, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s office.
The decisions to approve the naval submarine project named ‘P-75 India’ and the procurement of the military weapons and equipment were taken at a meeting of the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Singh. The DAC is the Defence Ministry’s highest decision-making body on procurement.
In another important decision, the DAC also extended the timelines for procuring urgent capital acquisitions under the delegated powers to the armed forces up to August 31, 2021, to enable them to complete their emergency procurements.
“This project envisages indigenous construction of six conventional submarines equipped with the state-of-the-art air-independent propulsion system at an estimated cost of ₹43,000 crore,” the ministry said about the naval project.“This is a landmark approval, being the first case processed under the strategic partnership model. This would be one of the largest ‘Make in India’ projects and will serve to facilitate faster and more significant absorption of technology and create a tiered industrial ecosystem for submarine construction in India,” it said.
The ministry said the project will help reduce current dependence on imports and gradually ensure greater self-reliance and dependability of supplies from indigenous sources.
“With accord of this approval, the country will be enabled to achieve its 30-year submarine construction programme envisioned by the government to acquire national competence in submarine construction and for the Indian industry to independently design and construct submarines in India,” it said.
Under the strategic partnership model, domestic defence manufacturers are allowed to join hands with leading foreign defence majors to produce highend military platforms to reduce import dependence.
Officials in the knowing of things said the project will be implemented in a period of around 12 years and the final cost may go up depending on the weapons systems to be incorporated into the stealth submarines.