SCORPENES NO MORE
The Indian Navy bets on the P-75I indigenous submarine
Few recent defence imports have been as troubled as the six Scorpene submarines imported from France in 2005. The Rs 23,562 crore deal first ran into bribery allegations, then a five-year construction delay. And last year, a leak of classified technical details by an Australian newspaper severely embarrassed the Indian Navy. The AgustaWestland bribery case halted procurement of weapons for the Scorpenes because the parent company, Finmeccanica (now Leonardo), makes the Blackshark torpedoes that are to equip the Scorpene.
The first two Scorpenes, ‘Kalvari’ and ‘Khanderi’, are to be inducted in June and December. All six will enter service by 2020. Instead of the Scorpene, the navy now wants a bigger conventional submarine in the light of the changed threat scenario. The Scorpenes were locally assembled through transfer of technology but achieved barely 40 per cent indigenisation. In contrast, close to 70 per cent of the four indigenous Arihant class ballistic missile submarines were made with local equipment.
The navy has decided to back the indigenous Project 75 ‘India’ class conventional submarines to be built in collaboration with a foreign partner. The submarines will be fitted with a DRDO-developed Air Independent Propulsion to enhance its underwater endurance and the Indo-Russian BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles. The trouble is the first P-75I submarine is at least a decade away because a key strategic partnership that will allow large Indian private companies to tie up with foreign firms is yet to be approved. It will take at least seven years to roll out the first P-75I submarine. Till then, the navy will have to make do with the six Scorpenes and life extensions to its aging fleet of 13 submarines.