New Delhi [India], October 1 (ANI): Amid growing cooperation between Pakistan and China to enhance the Pakistan Navy’s capabilities, India today said that it is in the final stages of finalising an over Rs 80,000 crore deal to build six advanced conventional submarines within the country with German partnership and is also considering a proposal to build three additional Scorpene (Kalvari) class boats at the Mazagon Dockyards Limited in Mumbai.
Asked about the induction of Hangor-class submarines in the Pakistan Navy and Indian plans to further strengthen the underwater fleet, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh told ANI: "Both Project-75(I) and additional Scorpene submarines are being considered. Project-75(I) is at the final stage. It has been submitted and is pending a final decision by the competent authority.”
“Additional Scorpene submarines are also being considered. It is not as advanced as the other one, but that is also under consideration,” he said.
Indian public sector shipyard MDL and German firm TKMS are scheduled to build the six boats in the country with a high level of participation by Indian private sector firms in it.
The Defence Secretary said that in addition to the construction of new submarines, the capabilities of the existing fleet of submarines would be enhanced with the fitment of indigenous Air Independent Propulsion systems on Sorpene-class boats.
“We are trying to put our indigenous, DRDO-developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system into one of our indigenous submarines when it comes in for a refit towards the middle of next year. We have multiple lines of effort going on to strengthen our underwater capabilities. Submarines will be entirely built in India, no doubt about it.”
Complementing the propulsion upgrades, fleet combat architecture is also undergoing transformation.
Singh added, “Besides the indigenous Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), the two additional Scorpenes, and the strategic partnership model for the Project-75(I) programme with the Germans, the Naval Physical & Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), our laboratory, has recently developed a very advanced indigenous integrated combat system for our submarines. We are going to start putting that in all of our submarines over time, as they come in for refits. That will again be a major game changer when it comes to improving the combat capabilities of our submarines". (ANI)
Rs 80,000 crore deal to build 6 submarines in final stages, additional Scorpene submarines also under consideration: Defence Secretary
