INS Kalvari Scorpene SSK launched October 2015. India need 5 more Kalvaris, 3-5 Arihants, 6 P75(i) SSKs and 6 SSNs (twice the size of the Kalvaris).
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Pete has made very minor word changes for clarity and added links, where useful. Pete cautions that all this information about France-India may still be an Indian bargaining ploy to beat down the price of a German TKMS Type 214 to win India's Project-75(I or i) competition.
PARIKRAMA on:
[AIP, Kalvari and Project-75(I or i)]
[AIP, Kalvari and Project-75(I or i)]
DCNS is being roped to setup a shop in India via 100% subsidiary route for the fuel cell based AIP . so you are correct on the hints that you gave. Of course they initially tried to offer us a better MESMAupgrade which [Indian Ministry of Defence (MOD)] declined.
The fact is almost 15+ months ago, it was clear that DRDO AIP may not be in a position to [be used for the last 2 Kalvari class Scorpenes] nor may DRDO be in a position to get its AIP on board the Project-75(I or i) (P75i) SSKs. So the contingency plan was [to rope in the] French side into multiple things.
[Linkages With F21 Torpedo and Shortfin and Indian SSN]
Here are a few examples of the DCNS/French products India aims to buy:
1. Instead of the Blackshark heavyweight torpedo (HWT) it will be [mainly French developed] F21 for Scorpenes, Arihants and future P75i SSK with derived technology going into India's Varunastra HWT to make it more lethal.
2. The winning SSK in all probability under P75i will be the Shortfin because India is very keen to get a part of the subcontract for the Australia deal and also wishes to use the technology of Barracuda in its first 6 [Indian] SSN Project. The SSN project is basically a amalgamation of Russian known tech with us and upgrading it with Barracuda tech particularly for noise, stealth and reactor compartment and shielding.
The Amur 1650 or Lada Russia proposed is not cutting much ice with the Indian Government. In fact [India’s] Reliance Defence and Engineering Ltd had submitted a proposal to build 12 Kilo 636 in Pipavav [Shipyard, Gujarat, India] with first 2 being built in Russia and next 10 in India. GOI did not even look into it till this date.
The reason is straight and simple, the product line which comes in P75i should have features which are the latest technology available in the market and which can be fed into Indian SSN/SSBN programs.
French and Indian cooperation will be unprecedented. I am sure you will see a lot more of a new Australia-France-India troika in submarines.
PARIKRAMA also commented on India's second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC2) and aircraft (MRTT and IL76/78) issues but Pete will write a separate article around these and also Indian SSN reactors later this week.
PETE’S COMMENTS
So India appears to be wishing to buy DCNS/French SSK technology (and perhaps Russian VLS) technology to use in India next 6 x SSK P75i and also in its 6 x future SSNs.
Part of this interest in France is India wants more recent SSN hull ideas than the 25 year old Akula I (INS Chakra) that India is longterm leasing from Russia. Also the Akula is probably larger (at 8,140 tonnes surfaced) than India would want in its first class of SSNs.
So it seems India wishes to obtain hull ideas from France’s Barracuda SSN (due to be launched for the French Navy in 2017) or from the Shortfin SSK variant (both are a more economical 4,765 tonnes (surfaced)).
It is unclear whether:
- India and DCNS expect the Shortfin to be sold to India OR
- India just receives 6 x P75i AIP Scorpenes but with transfer of some technology from the
Shortfin/Barracuda overtly or quietly included in a deal.
A NOTE OF CAUTION - TKMS?
A NOTE OF CAUTION - TKMS?
Pete cautions that all this information about France-India may still be an Indian bargaining ploy to beat down the price of a German TKMS Type 214 to win India's P75i competition. After the decade long Indian negotiations over the Kalvari contract and fifteen years for the MRCA France may well be cautious about transferring substantial AIP and Barracuda SSN technology to India. France would expect a great deal of money.
India has a pattern of not buying subs from the same country twice - not having bought from Germany since the 1980/90s. It is also TKMS that is likely to have the mature fuel cell AIP that India wants for P75i. So beating down the price of 6 Type 214 (or 218s) from TKMS for P75i may be India's long term objective.
India has a pattern of not buying subs from the same country twice - not having bought from Germany since the 1980/90s. It is also TKMS that is likely to have the mature fuel cell AIP that India wants for P75i. So beating down the price of 6 Type 214 (or 218s) from TKMS for P75i may be India's long term objective.
By PARIKRAMA and Pete