Context: The bid by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) Mumbai, and Germany’s TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) has cleared the technical evaluation conducted by the Defence Ministry. The commercial negotiations will now commence. The benchmarked price of ₹43,000 crore for the deal is expected to see a major upward revision.
Relevance of the Topic:Prelims: Key facts about Project 75 and Project 75-I.
Project 75
- Under Project 75, six Scorpene-class submarines (Kalvari class) have been constructed indigenously (at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited Mumbai) with Transfer of Technology from French defence major Naval Group.
- Budget size: Rs 23,000 crore.
- The project was initiated in 1997, and all six submarines have been commissioned. Submarines under Project 75 (Kalvari-class):
- INS Kalvari: Inducted in 2017
- INS Kandheri: Inducted in 2019
- INS Karanj: Inducted in 2021
- INS Vela: Inducted 2021
- INS Vagir: Inducted 2023
- INS Vagsheer: Inducted January 2025.
- Key Features:
- The submarines have Diesel Electric transmission systems.
- They are attack submarines or the ‘hunter-killer’ type, designed to target and sink adversary naval vessels.
- armed with wire-guided torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, and advanced sonar systems.
- allows for future upgrades such as integration of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology.
- Have the capability of operating in a wide range of Naval combat including:
- anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare
- intelligence gathering and surveillance
- underwater mining operations and naval mine laying.
Project 75-I (India)
- Project 75-I is a follow-up to Project 75. Indian Navy aims to acquire six conventional, diesel-electric attack advanced submarines for its fleet.
- It improves upon the design and technology of its predecessor (P-75) to meet evolving maritime challenges and technological advancements. The advanced capabilities include:
- Air-independent propulsion (AIP)
- Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance systems (ISR)
- Anti-ship warfare, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, land-attack capabilities.
- Special operations forces (SOF).
- Indigenous content requirement: The first submarine should have indigenous content (IC) of 45% which should be up to 60% for the sixth and last submarine.
- These submarines may be larger in size compared to the ones under Project 75.
- Budget size: Rs 43,000 crore. The project may take a few years to start, post bidding.
| Note: -Conventional submarines need to surface every 48 hours to charge their batteries, because the generator that recharges them is powered by an internal-combustion engine that requires air. This poses a significant risk of their detection. -Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system allows submarines to remain submerged for longer durations (up to 15 days) without the need to surface. This significantly enhances their operational endurance and stealth capabilities. |