The Indian Government, through the introduction of the SP Model in 2017 paved the way for the country’s armed forces to surge ahead with their modernization programs, many of which were struck on the table for decades, due to a missing procurement policy roadmap.
The SP Model, which was aimed at facilitating the procurement of strategically important platform of the Armed Forces in a viable timeframe, set the ball rolling for several of the multi-billion dollar tenders, aimed at the procurement of fighter aircraft, helicopters, armoured fighting vehicles and submarines.
Amongst the three services, the first take the plunge towards initialising the procurement under the SP Model, was by far and large the Indian Navy. In-charge of guarding the country’s waters and its larger maritime interests, the Navy within days of the introduction of the SP Model set course for initiating the country’s biggest ever defense equipment acquisition program by issuing an RFI for the much delayed Program – 75I to global vendors.
The RFI, which was introduced in July, 2017 was forwarded to at least five global vendors including Naval Group of France, TKMS of Germany, Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Sweden-based Saab. Other vendors having had experience in building these mean machines, were also provided with an opportunity to respond to the high-stakes tender.
Drawn up by the Navy for acquiring six diesel-electric submarines as a follow-on to the platforms under Program – 75, P-75I to date remains to the biggest yet acquisition deal floated by the country. The Indian Navy, which had time and again reported that underwater combatants remain the need of the hour to neutralise the increasing Chinese naval presence in the region, had listed the INR 45,000 crore worth, P-75I deal as an exigent need.
Decades of mismanagement at the MoD’s apex level and truncated outlays have greatly hampered progress in Navy’s modernisation agenda of its silent service – the submarine arm. The Indian Navy had in 1999 drafted the 30-year submarine construction plan, under which it envisioned to construct 12 conventional submarines by 2012 in Phase – I and another 12 by 2024 in Phase – II. However, after almost two decades down the lane, it succeeded in inducting only two submarines of the required 24 platforms.
The Maritime Capability Perspective Plan (MCPP) 2012-27, under which the Navy’s current modernisation programs are being floated, envisages a force level of at least 18 conventional submarines, which are to be further complemented by a fleet of nuclear attack submarines. However, the Navy is now far from attaining these capabilities at least for the foreseeable future.
In the backdrop of this worrying situation, the Navy has bestowed all its hope of resurging in the underwater front solely on the success of the P-75I program.The Navy is aiming towards lifting much of the roadblocks that have been hampering the progress of the high-stakes tender.
The tender has now been making steady progress since the Defence Acquisition Council headed by the then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in January, 2019 had awarded the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) for the project.
Further, the DAC headed by the current Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh had on June 20, 2019 issued the much expected Expression of Interest (EOI) for shortlisting of potential Indian Strategic Partners (SPs). Government’s move to accord the clearance right after coming to the helm has shown not only the importance of the project, but the commitment of the stakeholders to see through the procurement case. The Navy had also forwarded the EoI to all of the global manufacturers, who had responded to the initial RFI.
In a major breakthrough to the project, the MoD has on January 21, 2020 approved the shortlisting of Indian Strategic Partners (SP) and the potential Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) that would collaborate with SPs to construct the six conventional submarines in India under P75I.
While all of the Global OEMs, who had responded to the RFI, have received the EOI, the MoD has shortlisted state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and Larsen & Toubro (L&T) as perspective Strategic Partners (SP).
The Indian companies were shortlisted based on their capability for integration of system of systems, expertise in shipbuilding domain and the financial strength. The OEMs would be shortlisted primarily based on their submarine design meeting the Indian Navy’s Qualitative Requirements and qualifying the Transfer of Technology and Indigenous Content (IC) criteria.
The bid from Reliance Defence, Adani and another joint bid from state-run Hindustan Shipyard Limited and Adani Defence has been rendered null and void by the MoD, meaning these manufacturers will not compete for the multi-billion tender.
The selection of MDL and Larsen & Toubro as the preferred Strategic Partners to execute the project locally in India does not come as a surprise. Both the firms have been successfully handling strategically important naval projects for decades now.
MDL, being the lead Indian partner for the ToT under Program – 75, remains to be at the forefront of India’s capabilities to design and manufacture underwater platforms. Besides these platforms, the shipyard is also handling several thousand crore worth of naval programs to construct modern surface combatants for the Indian Navy.
On the underwater front, the shipyard has been building such platforms since 1990s, when it was selected to handle the construction of the two HDW-designed Type-209 class submarines. With Naval Group, under the Project – 75, the shipyard entered a new phase as the construction of the highly advanced Scorpene-class submarine began in its Mumbai shipyard.
MDL’s submarine division has handled the construction of all of the six submarines locally. Through this project, it has also been supporting the growth of several Tier – II and Tier – III private defence sub-systems manufacturers. Much of these companies are expected to enter Naval Group’s global supply chain, as and when the construction of the Australian submarines begin in the near future.
MDL remains very confident that it has a significant lead in the SP selection process, both technically and financially. With Naval Group offering an improvised version of the Scorpene-class submarine, which is already in construction at MDL, the shipyard feels that it can handle the challenges of P-75I with much ease. It has also claimed that the current infrastructure, which was painstakingly built up for P-75, will require very minimal upgradation for P-75I. Commonality in the platform, infrastructure and the existing supply chain, will mean that MDL is equipped to build the six submarines under Project – 75I much faster and cheaper.
But the inordinate delay, of at least 6 years, in Program – 75 itself is expected to trim MDL’s lead. MDL, though, credits this delay to the initially teething issues it faced in the implementation of the project. Another concern for the shipyard will be the Navy’s repeated concerns about, what it terms, minimal transfer of technology under the project. The Navy remains miffed that only 40% of indigenisation and absorption of technology happened under the program.
With the selection of L&T, private industry has received a glimmer of hope that their prospectus under the SP Model is still alive. While the MoD had initially indicated that it would only nominate Indian private vendors as SP under the model, the MoD changed its decision by nominating DPSUs in the submarine, fighter and armoured category of acquisition.
L&T remains to be one of the most leading private sector vendors to all of the three services. While it is building K-9 Vajra howitzers to the Army, the company is also supplying avionics and wings to the LCA programme. On the Navy’s front, L&T has been involved for decades with the strategically important ATV Project, under which the nation acquired second strike capabilities through the induction of INS Arihant. It was L&T that constructed the hull for this highly advanced Ballistic Missile Submarine.
The company’s Kattupalli shipyard is currently involved in the construction of Offshore Patrol Vessels for the Indian Coast Guard. The shipyard has successfully been delivering the contracted vessels much ahead of the laid down timeframe, earning laurel from the MoD. L&T has taken about only 3 years for the successful design and manufacture of these vessels, which far quicker compared to the pace with which state-run shipyards have handled the programs.
Technical Requisites Specified for the Underwater Platform
The Navy through the RFI has indicated that the submarine on offer should be capable of operating in the Open Ocean, shallow and littoral waters against dense Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Electronic Warfare (EW) threats. The submarine, according to the requirements of the Navy should be capable of mounting both anti-surface and anti-submarine operations besides supporting ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) and Special Forces operations.
Further, the Navy has listed the need for the platform to be equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology, which effectively increases the endurance of the submarine at sea. Reduced noise signature, capability of the submarine to launch guided missiles, torpedoes and heavy-weight wire guided torpedoes all from the torpedo tube itself is another critical requirement for the Navy.
Submersible Platforms Offer to the Indian Navy
Several sources within the Ministry of Defense (MoD) have revealed that at least five manufacturers who had replied to the RFI have been forwarded the EoI. While Naval Group of France, German’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau, Spain-based Navantia and South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) have aired their interest in participating for the tender. While Saab’s subsidiary Kockums Naval Solutions based out of Sweden was very much interested in the INR 45,000 crore, the company decided to stay out of the tender in the last minute raising questions on the procurement model being followed by the MoD. The Navy has already had elaborate consultation with the industry on the technical capabilities of their platforms and has received several full fledged presentations.
French based Naval Group (formerly DCNS Group) is known to be offering a highly advanced, stealth enabled and AIP equipped variant of the Scorpene-class submarine. Naval group, which is currently working with India’s state-run Mazagon Docks Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) under P-75 deal to supply the Indian Navy with six Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines, is optimistic that the commonality clause between the P-75 and P-75 I deal will play a crucial role in the selection of the OEMs.
According to Naval Group executives, the selection of the AIP equipped Scorpene submarines will prove to be an extremely cost effective option for India as there is a readily available matured vendor base for the program. Besides, MDL, the lead builder and integrator, itself has acquired substantial technology not only in manufacturing but also in designing the stealth submarines.
Naval Group has on several occasions said that the already existing production line established for Program – 75 at MDL’s premises in Mumbai can be carried forward for P-75I with very minimal upgrades. The company claims that this will not only drastically cut down initial set-up costs but will also reflect in the future MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) and life cycle costs.
Top Naval Group India representatives speaking to Life of Soldiers about movement in the P-75 I deal said “Naval Group would look forward to the Strategic Partner selected by the Government of India. Naval Group is in all ways, maintaining its dialogue with Indian Navy for future warships and submarines in order to support them with best technical solutions.”
Elaborating about their company’s offer to India, they said, “On P-75I, we believe that we would be in a position to propose an advanced submarine meeting the requirements in terms of operation and indigenous content. We also believe the “Make In India” P75 program with its important indigenous content could be a good template, which could be used successfully for P75I by adding the additional functions or performances required by Indian Navy.”
On the technical front, the Scorpene submarines remain to be one of the most advanced and stealthiest underwater combatants on offer to the country. These submarines, which are in service with at least three navies, are favored submersible platforms for operations in the warm tropic and littoral waters. With highly advanced combat management and platform management systems, the Scorpene submarines are extremely efficient platforms for mounting both Anti Surface and Anti Submarine Warfare operations.
The Indian Navy has already operationalised INS Kalvari and INS Khanderi, two of the six Scorpene-class submarine delivered by Naval Group and MDL under P – 75. The Navy remains optimistic of the platform and is learnt to have been happy with the technical capabilities and performance of the platform. INS Khanderi, based out INS Kadamba, had been deployed off the Western Seaboard in light of simmering tensions between India and Pakistan, following the Balakot air strike. The platform is learnt to have played a crucial role in the Navy’s operations to thwart any misadventures by the Pakistani Navy on the high seas.
The Scorpene submarines are expected to receive stiff competition from the Type-214 and Amur-class diesel-electric submarines manufactured by ThyssenKrupp and Russia’s Rubin Design Bureau respectively. German based ThyssenKrupp has indicated that it will be carrying forward the previous ToT offers it had made for the P-75 deal and has claimed that the company stands ready to part with classified technologies including the complex AIP technology. With proven technology, the Type-214 submarines, which have been developed by HDW around the Type-212 platforms, threaten to torpedo Naval Group’s lead.
India has also reportedly shown interest in the Amur-1650 class submarine. Being offered by Russia’s Rubin Naval Design Bureau, as the platform features a high degree of commonality with the Kilo-class submarines, which serve as the backbone of India Navy’s underwater force. These submarines, which have been designed around the Lada-class submarines, the company claims will suite Indian Navy’s operational requirements. Russia, a trusted and time tested partner of India, has indicated that it would be willing to transfer the technology to Indian shipyards under the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
Another interesting enterent to the fray is South Korea’s Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering which is offering its KSS III – class of diesel-electric submarines. These submarines are based on the Type – 209, which are currently in operation with the South Korean Navy. While these submarines are based on the much older Type – 209 class, the platforms with a gross 3000 tonnage are said to be a newer-class of platform with far more capability and modern technology.
The 3,450-ton platform is South Korea’s first underwater platform that will be capable of firing both ballistic and cruise missile. The submarine for the purpose is equipped with 10 vertical launch tubes that can fire salvos from periscope depth. The first of the platform built for Seoul has already entered its trail phase.
Trailing these platforms are the Navantia-built S80 submarines, which have been sailing through turbulent waters since the launch of the program. While the program initially suffered after Naval Group (then DCNS) broke off its partnership with Navantia, the program was yet again suspended in early-2013 after the first of the submarine of the class was learnt to have had a considerable tonnage issue. The first platform, Isaac Peral, was learnt to have had an increased weight of at least 100 tonnes, which forced the Spanish Navy to reject further progress, at least until the increase in tonnage was effectively addressed. After a sustained struggle, and working with US’ General Dynamics Electric Boat, Navantia in 2018 restarted the construction after successfully mitigating the weight issue.
In December 2019, the Spanish-builder after much struggle succeeded in closing the resistant hull of S81 “Isaac Peral” submarine. The closure of the resistant hull is a crucial milestone for Navantia in the construction of a submarine, as the platform now appears as a complete vessel. Previously, the company has successfully loaded of all the main modules has been carried out, as well as a very high level of completion of the sections.
Navantia remains optimistic of delivering all of the four S80 class, AIP equipped submarines to the Spanish Navy by 2030. The maiden submarine is set to be launched in December 2020 and the delivery is due in December 2022.
With the selection of the Strategic Partner and having forwarded the OEMs, the Indian Navy is expected to roll out the RFP (Request For Proposal), a defining stage in any procurement case, late this year. The trials of the platform and a formal contract conclusion is years away. The induction of the first submarine under the Program -75I, however, is expected to take at least another decade from the date of the actual contract conclusion.
