Project-75 (India), simply referred to as the P-75(I) program, is a military acquisition initiative affiliated to India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), aimed at the planned procurement of diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy (IN). Originally conceived in 1997, the initiative's objective has been to procure a class of six conventionally-powered attack submarines for the Indian Navy Submarine Arm, as a replacement for the force's Sindhughosh-class submarines.
Under the auspices of the program, the submarines in reference, which are to be procured from an international naval firm, are to be contract-built at a chosen Indian shipyard, in accordance with the country's Make in India initiative. The aforementioned vessels are envisaged to feature multifarious capabilities - particularly that of anti-surface warfare, land-attack capability and air-independent propulsion.
Initially envisaged in the late-1990s as part of a 30-year long-term scheme to replace the IN's existing conventional submarine fleet, the program has experienced multiple delays owing to hurdles emanating from bureaucratic red tape, inadequate planning and a lack of corporate competitiveness, causing longstanding delays to the program's timeline, which has consequently led to intense criticism. Originally planned to enter operational service in the late-2020s, the six submarines are now expected to be delivered by the mid-2030s.
History
Planning
In 1997, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) - the highest-decision making body of India's Ministry of Defence (MoD), approved the construction of two Type 209/1500 attack submarines (SSK) at a then-estimated cost of INR ₹700 crore. This effort, which was conceived in the wake of an international corruption scandal related to India's acquisition of the Shishumar-class submarines, called for the construction of two Type 209/1500 SSKs at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) with the assistance of a foreign naval firm in a corroborative role. In accordance with the scheme, the Indian Navy (IN) and MDL approached several naval enterprises for assistance; however, the French-based Thomson-CSF (TCSF) was the only firm willing to participate.
Two years later, in 1999, the MoD approved a two-phase plan to build 24 submarines over a 30-year period. For the first phase, which called for the construction of SSKs at MDL, two options were proposed: the former option recommending the construction of the Type 209/1500 at MDL with the assistance of TCSF; the latter option recommending the construction of SSKs based on the newer Scorpène submarine design. Ultimately, the IN chose the latter, reasoning that the Scorpène, which had been offered with a provision of technology transfer (TOT), was more advanced than the Type 209/1500. The initial plan to ally with TCSF was dropped in April 2001 and negotiations for the procurement of the Scorpène design under the first phase, dubbed Project-75 (P-75), began in November 2001. The Scorpène design was offered by another French-based naval firm, Armaris (later DCNS, now Naval Group).
The second phase, dubbed Project-75 (India) or P-75(I), was to be executed simultaneously alongside P-75, with both projects envisioned to deliver 18 SSKs by 2030. However, financial constraints within the MoD led to P-75 being the only project sanctioned, with a target to build six submarines.
Progress
International search
In 2008, the IN issued a request for information (RFI) to multiple naval firms, namely, Armaris, Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Rubin Design Bureau and Navantia to inquire about a possible acquisition of submarines equipped with specific features.
In July 2010, the P-75(I) initiative received its first official in-principle approval, termed an Acceptance of Necessity (AoN), from the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) - the MoD's apex body on arms acquisitions. The DAC, then chaired by minister of defence A. K. Antony, had originally planned to build three of the six submarines at MDL and one at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) with foreign assistance whilst procuring the remaining two submarines directly from a foreign vendor or from a private Indian shipyard, at a total budget of INR . However, the IN, which preferred the participation of private shipyards over public ones, disagreed with the DAC's plan. The difference in opinion between both parties over the initiative's path led to a two-year period of stagnation, during which the AoN expired twice. The MoD later refreshed the AoN in 2013.