Listing a few detailed interviews with people who have worked on Indian submarine programs. Save these in your watchlist if you are deeply interested in design and engineering aspects, as well as historical background.
Project-76 Indigenous Diesel-electric Submarine (SSK) Program
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India plans 9 new conventional submarines instead of 6 as govt ramps up underwater capabilities
EXCLUSIVE | The Centre is focused on ramping up India’s underwater strength on priority amid rapid naval expansion by China and Pakistan.
theprint.in
New Delhi: India is planning to acquire nine new conventional diesel-electric submarines, instead of six, in the first phase of a broader effort to ramp up its underwater capabilities over the next two decades, ThePrint has learnt.
Sources in the defence and security establishment said the government has decided that the six submarines being acquired under Project 75(I) will be followed by an order for three additional ones, the make of which is yet to be decided.
This will take the total planned acquisition under the first phase to nine submarines. This will be followed by the second phase—Project 76—under which at least six more conventional submarines will be built with Indian design and high indigenisation content.
The move comes as India seeks to address a shrinking conventional submarine fleet over the next two decades, given the scale at which Pakistan is ramping up its submarine strength along with China.
China, which currently operates an estimated 65 submarines, has outpaced even US’ submarine-building programme.
The Indian government is of the view that more submarines are needed since several of the 19 in operation with the Navy will be decommissioned late 2030s onwards.
The contract modalities for Project 75(I) are being finalised and it will be inked later this year if all goes well.
Under the programme, six conventional submarines equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) systems will be built by state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in collaboration with German shipbuilder Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) under a transfer of technology and transfer of design protocol.
The contract will include both a commercial contract between the Union Ministry of Defence, MDL and TKMS besides a government-to-government arrangement between India and Germany.
Once the contract is signed, the government is expected to move ahead with plans to acquire three more conventional submarines.
However, a final decision has not been taken on whether the additional boats will be a follow on of the MDL-TKMS boats or the MDL-Naval Group’s Scorpene.
Project 76 advantage
Sources indicated that the TKMS-MDL partnership currently enjoys an advantage because the technology, industrial ecosystem and design expertise generated under Project 75(I) are expected to form the foundation for Project 76, India’s planned indigenous conventional submarine programme.Project 76 is expected to involve the construction of at least six next-generation conventional submarines with the majority of work being done indigenously, like for the new Arihant-class boats.
Under Project 75(I), the first submarine is scheduled for delivery seven years after contract-signing with an indigenous content level of 45 percent. Subsequent submarines are to be delivered at yearly intervals, with indigenisation expected to rise to 60 percent by the sixth one.
Officials told ThePrint that the programme is expected to create a submarine-building ecosystem involving major private companies as well as MSMEs and smaller suppliers, which will later support Project 76.
By contrast, while MDL successfully built six Scorpene-class submarines in partnership with France’s Naval Group, the indigenous content remains less than 20 percent once labour and infrastructure costs are excluded.
Sources also pointed to long-term maintenance concerns, noting that many critical spare parts for the Scorpene fleet continue to be sourced from France.
The Scorpene pitch
The French government and Naval Group have continued to push for a follow-on Scorpene programme. They argue that a fleet of nine boats rather than six would make the supply chain more sustainable and cost-effective, since the additional three are supposed to come with 60 percent indigenous content.The proposed submarines would be larger and more capable than the six Scorpenes already in service.
As reported earlier by ThePrint, MDL submitted a bid on 11 August, 2023, for the acquisition of three additional Scorpene-class submarines under a repeat order of Project 75. The Navy processed the proposal under the Buy (Indian) category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, requiring a minimum indigenous content of 60 percent.
However, the proposal faced turbulence after the MDL initially submitted a bid exceeding Rs 50,000 crore for the three additional submarines. Following negotiations, the cost was eventually brought down to around Rs 36,000 crore.
Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Tripathi had said in December 2024 that the deal would be signed by January 2025.
However, the proposal never went through because Project 75(I) had also cleared critical stages. Thus, the government had to decide which was the priority, and a high-level meeting was held in which the Indian Navy favoured pursuing the new German boats with AIP first.
The proposed Scorpene submarines would feature nearly double the mission endurance of the existing Scorpene fleet through larger accommodation spaces, expanded storage capacity for food and water, and increased fuel and sanitary reserves.
They would also carry more than twice the weapon load of the current submarines and retain growth margins for future weapon integration, subject to compatibility with existing launch systems.
With China’s submarine fleet continuing to expand and Pakistan expected to induct eight Chinese-origin Hangor-class submarines over the next few years, Indian planners increasingly believe that six new conventional submarines alone will be insufficient to maintain the Navy’s underwater edge in the Indian Ocean Region in the long run.
I like the idea. After contract with TKMS, make French and Germans are competing against each other again for a follow-on contract of 3.
Why would India make Germany and France compete when the Type 214 class with India specific modifications is clearly superior to the scorpene class?
You can deliver these faster because we already have everything ready for manufacturing these under MDL. Its Evolved version not older scorpene that we operate.
Ignore the given timelines of the contract. Delivery of P75I will be delayed few years. Thats a given.
The reality is we need 3 more subs from both the French and Germans. Our sub force is dated and small compared to the threats they have to deal with
faster isn't necessarily better, we should be looking to procure more modern and advanced tech and built the fleet from there, ideally we could make both and absorb the tech if possible for future indigenous platforms.
Project 76 question mark
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Confirmed to be P-76 model by Sandeep Unnithan