India’s defence infrastructure received a significant boost as the Indian Navy’s Project-75I, a mega-submarine agreement valued at over Rs 43,000 crore, achieved a major milestone with the completion of Field Evaluation Trials (FET). The contenders for this prestigious project are Germany’s TKMS (Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems) and Spain’s Navantia.
According to ‘Hindustan Times’, TKMS has partnered with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) to construct six submarines equipped with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. Meanwhile, Navantia has teamed up with Larsen & Toubro.
Earlier this year, a team from the Indian Navy conducted FET at TKMS’ shipyard in Germany. Navantia’s proposal was evaluated in June, and the assessment report is now being prepared by Indian Navy officials for submission to the Defence Ministry. The process of selecting bids that clear the FET is expected to take approximately two months. Subsequently, negotiations will commence with the qualified bidders.
Navantia’s offering includes demonstrating its AIP system, enabling a submarine to operate efficiently on the surface and submerged. TKMS has proposed designs based on their Class 214 and Class 212CD submarines, which are known for their advanced capabilities. Navantia, on the other hand, presents a design rooted in its S80 class, launched in 2021 and commissioned into the Spanish Navy as S-81 ‘Isaac Peral’ in November 2023.
The Indian Navy’s Request For Proposal (RFP) specified stringent requirements, including a mandate for increasing indigenous content from 45% in the first submarine to 60% in the sixth. The crucial criterion for Project-75I is including an AIP system, which enhances a submarine’s operational capabilities significantly.