Project 75 (I): Importance For India’s Maritime Security

The Project 75 India-class submarines (P-75I) are a planned class of diesel-electric submarines, which are to be built for the Indian Navy. The project cost is about Rs 45,000 crores. This is the second project being undertaken under the latest Strategic Partnership (SP) Model, with the first being the procurement of 111 Naval Utility Helicopters (NUH).

  • Project-75(I) envisages indigenous construction of six modern conventional submarines (including associated shore support, Engineering Support Package, training and spares package) with contemporary equipment, weapons & sensors including Fuel-Cell based AIP (Air Independent Propulsion Plant), advanced torpedoes, modern missiles and state of the art countermeasure systems.
  • The overall aim would be to progressively build indigenous capabilities in the private sector to design, develop and manufacture complex weapon systems for the future needs of the Armed Forces.
  • The six submarines under the project are Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir and Vagsheer.

Impact

  • This would provide a major boost to the indigenous design and construction capability of submarines in India.
  • It would bring in the latest submarine design and technologies to India as part of the project.
  • The project would aid in boosting the core submarine and ship building industry by development of an industrial eco-system for manufacture of associated spares/systems/equipment related to submarines. It would greatly enhance manufacturing and industrial sector.
  • It is an important step towards meeting broader national objectives, encouraging self-reliance and aligning the defense sector with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government.

Benefits to Maritime Security

The Scorpene Submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world. More deadly and stealthier than their predecessors, these submarines are equipped with potent weapons and sensors to neutralise any threat above or below the sea surface. They are important for India’s maritime security as-

  • The Scorpene submarines are extremely potent platforms, they have advanced stealth features and are also equipped with both long range guided torpedoes as well as anti-ship missiles.
  • Scorpene submarines can undertake multifarious types of missions i.e. Anti-Surface warfare, Anti-Submarine warfare, Intelligence gathering, Mine Laying, Area Surveillance etc.
  • The Submarine is designed to operate in all theatres of operation, showcasing interoperability with other components of a Naval Task Force.
  • These submarines have a state of the art SONAR and sensor suite permitting outstanding operational capabilities.
  • They also have an advanced Permanent Magnetic Synchronous motor (PERMASYN) as its propulsion motor which has following advantages:-
    • The motor is small in size and light in weight
    • Wide range of operating speeds
    • Small moment of inertia, high acceleration can be obtained, and good dynamic performance
    • Large overload capacity
  • The submarines are to be fitted with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. The advantage of AIP system is that it allows diesel submarines to stay submerged for much longer, removing the need for diesel submarines to periodically come above the surface.

Issues

  • Naval technologies are complex and involve significant R&D investment. There is paucity of naval manufacturing capacity in the domestic context.
  • The submarines were supposed to be fitted with AIP system. However, the slow development of the system by the Indian Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) has meant a significant delay for the Indian Navy’s submarine plans.
  • After considerable delays, the Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) of the DRDO demonstrated the indigenously developed AIP system but the demonstration took place on a “land-based prototype” and the DRDO has to now develop a “marinized” AIP system that can be deployed on submarines to function under underwater situations.
  • According to reports citing naval sources, the NMRL’s AIP system can be fielded only by 2023-24. This means that the six submarines that will be developed under Project 75 (I) cannot be fitted with the domestically produced AIP system and will possibly be fitted with foreign AIP systems.
  • There are other significant shortfalls of the Indian Navy including essentials capacities such as “advanced towed array sonars (ATAS) to detect enemy submarines, heavyweight torpedoes to neutralize them, and varied air defense systems, all of which are critical not only to their survivability, but also their overall offensive capability.”

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