To Counter China In Indian Ocean, Indian Navy To Acquire Six Advanced Submarines In Rs 50,000 Crore Project

To further shore up its presence in the waters of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), the Indian Navy has initiated the process to acquire six advanced submarines under its ambitious Project-75, reports Business Standard.

The navy wants these submarines to be heavy duty, equipped with 12 Land Attack Cruise Missiles (LACM) and Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles. With the capability to launch 18 heavyweight torpedoes in the sea, these submarines’ firepower is many times stronger than those belonging to the Scorpene class.

An empowered project committee comprising the navy’s controller of warship production and acquisition as head of panel and several other joint secretaries as its members, to speed up the acquisition.

Under the ambitious project which costs over Rs 50,000 crore, the navy has initiated the tender process by issuing an Initial Expression of Interest to foreign vendors. The foreign vendors are expected to enter into joint ventures with their Indian partners under the strategic partnership policy to build the machines.

Under Project-75, the Indian Navy is planning to build six conventional diesel-electric submarines that are 50 per cent larger than the Scorpene class submarines that are currently being built at the Mazgaon Dockyards, Mumbai.

The navy is looking to possess a heady mix of conventional and nuclear submarines to be more assertive in the IOR and Malacca Straits. Already, India maintains five times the number of submarines and warships compared to Pakistan and is now aiming high to put in place countermeasures to the ever-increasing Chinese influence in the IOR.