Paris: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a visit to France with both countries celebrating 25 years of strategic partnership. Amid several agreements, the two MoUs between the defense public sector undertakings (DPSUs) of both countries stand out as it calls for the fabrication of submarine and surface combatants and parts in the Indian cities of Mumbai and Kolkata for export to third countries.
Mumbai-based Mazagon Dockyards Limited will jointly develop and manufacture Scorpene class submarines with the French Naval Group while Kolkata GRSE’s signed an MoU with the Naval Group to fabricate surface naval combatants for export. The manufacturing will be conducted for the purpose of export and will provide the required acceleration to the “Make in India” initiative of PM Modi-led NDA government.
The MoUs come at a time when the Defence Acquisition Council cleared the purchase of 26 Rafale-Marine fighters for INS Vikrant and three additional Scorpene class submarines. The focus of PM Modi was to marry India’s talent and workers with the high-end technology of France to produce platforms for the time to come.
Diesel-powered attack submarines for the Indo-Pacific region
Despite the media’s exclusive attention on 26 Rafale M fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines, the two leaders reached an agreement to construct compact diesel-powered attack submarines for nations in the Indo-Pacific region that face aggression from China.
Although all American submarines are propelled by nuclear power, the Scorpene attack submarines, equipped with diesel engines, pose a significant challenge in terms of detection in equatorial waters once their engines have been deactivated. The nuclear-powered submarines cannot be shut down and are hence detectable.
Discussion about this post