New Delhi: Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia signed an agreement with L&T to build next-generation submarines for the Indian Navy under Project 75 (I) with full transfer of technology under the ‘Make in India’ programme.
Project-75 (India), or P75 (I), touted to be India’s largest defence acquisition, will see Indian Navy procuring six stealth conventional submarines with latest sensors, weapon systems and the Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP).
The project has been cleared under the strategic partnership (SP) model of the Ministry of Defence that makes it mandatory for foreign equipment makers to tie up with domestic producers.
“Spain supports ‘Make in India’ and the Spanish government is engaged in transfer of technology for our partners and allies. We consider Spain is a reliable partner for India. We have developed a technology which is convenient for India,” Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez said during a press interaction Monday.
The Ambassador also said, “We don’t influence the balance of power in this part of the world. We respect and support the strategic autonomy of India and we only support stability in this region.”
He said the signing of the pact between Navantia and L&T is “not just a commercial issue. This is also a diplomatic issue.”
“Spain is geographically far away from India… This programme is a good opportunity to be here (in India) and have a long-term cooperation with India,” he added.
Germany And France Also Eyeing P75 (I)
Navantia, which signed the pact with L&T under the SP model, is facing stiff competition from Germany’s Thyssenkrupp and French Naval Group for the submarine project.
“Navantia’s state-of-the-art 3rd Generation AIP solution is the most advanced and efficient AIP system in the world, apart from also being the most compact, easiest to exploit and maintain and environment friendly,” said S N Subrahmanyan, CEO & MD, L&T.
India Navy’s current arsenal consists of 14 conventional submarines and two nuclear-powered submarines.
“End of the day it’s a competition… We have to bid good. We cannot predict what will be the end result … Our AIP is far better,” Subrahmanyan added.
Augustin Alvarez Blanco, Navantia’s vice president for naval construction.said, “It gives us great joy to be in a position to be the design and technology partner for P75(I). We are also in collaboration with L&T for the LandingPlatformDock (LPD) program whose tender is eagerly awaited. With these two prestigious programsfor the Indian Navy, Navantia is proud to be making a key contribution towards fulfilling the defence needs of India, a nation with which Spainshares excellent relationship.”
The Ministry of Defence floated a proposal to build six next-generation submarines for the Navy with modern AIP technology enabling the submarines to remain underwater for a longer period, missiles and torpedoes, with an estimated cost of over Rs 45,000 crore, in June 2021.
Navantia has offered S80 submarines for P-75(I). The S80 submarine has a displacement of 3000 tons and a proven AIP system.
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