An interesting report of November 12, 2017 from Sandeep Unnithan has inspired facts and thoughts:
- Admiral Sunil Lanba Chief of Indian Naval Staff visited the Naval Group (was DCNS) submarine
yard at Cherbourg, France, in early November 2017. Admiral Lanba was given a detailed
presentation on France’s new SSNs, the Barracuda class. The first, the Suffren, is due to be
launched soon.
- Naval Group is also building six Kalvari class Scorpene SSKs for the Indian navy at Mazagon
Docks, Mumbai under a 2005 contract.
- Naval Group is also competing for the much delayed six AIP SSK Project 75I. If Naval Group wins
Project 75I Naval Group may just possibly agree to technology transfers from the Barracuda in
several respects:
several respects:
: influencing the hull shape of an improved, larger Scorpene for Project 75I
: the pump jet and K15 reactor used in France’s Triomphant class SSBN and soon to be launched
Barracuda class SSN may influence India's SSBNs (to fire K-4 SLBMs in the 2020s) and
influence India's 6 SSN Project (in the 2030s)
As well as visiting France’s Naval Group I would guess that Admiral Lanbahas recently been leading Indian delegations to visit shipyards of the other remaining Project 75I competitors, which are:
- Germany’s TKMS
- Sweden’s Saab, and
- Russia’s Rosoboronexport/Rubin Design Bureau
The Suffren, first of the French Barracuda nuclear propelled attack submarines (SSNs) sports a paint job indicating 1 of 4(?) torpedo hatches and the bow sonar (?) The launch ceremony will probably be in late 2017/early 2018. (Photo courtesy AFP and Naval Group).
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Pete