All six Scorpene subs will be delivered from 2015 to 2018.

[DarK-LorD]

All six Scorpene subs will be delivered from 2015 to 2018.

MUMBAI: Exactly four years from now, close to two decades after India inducted its last modern submarine, the Navy will finally get its first Scorpene `killer' submarine in August 2015.

But India by then will be down to only 10 diesel-electric submarines from its present aging fleet of 10 Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW vessels, just over half of which anyway are operational at any given time.

This alarming state of affairs once again underlines the Indian defence establishment's inadequacy to first formulate and then execute long-term strategic plans, especially since both Pakistan and China are fast augmenting their underwater combat arms.

Moreover, while the Rs 23,562-crore `Project-75' to build six French Scorpene submarines at Mazagon Docks (MDL) is running three years' behind schedule, the defence ministry is yet to kick off `Project-75 India' for another six new-generation submarines.

MDL, however, is now promising to make amends. "We will deliver all the six Scorpenes, which are very silent submarines, between August 2015 and September 2018. Fabrication of pressure hulls for the first submarine is ahead of schedule...its outfitting has also begun," says MDL chief Vice-Admiral (retd) H S Malhi.

"In fact, construction of all the six Scorpenes is underway at different stages. We have compressed delivery schedules to ensure P-75 is completed by September 2018," he adds.

An anxious Navy can only hope for the best. Decommissioning plans, after all, hold it will be left with just eight of the existing 14 submarines by 2017, five by 2020 and two by 2022.

Ironically, it was way back in July 1999 that the Cabinet Committee on Security approved a 30-year submarine building plan, which envisaged induction of 12 new submarines in Phase-I (2000-2012) and another 12 in Phase-II (2012-2030).

But to no avail. Navy is now pressing hard for P-75I, which was supposed to be over by 2012, to be launched as soon as possible. It involves acquisition of six new stealth submarines, equipped with both tube-launched missiles for land-attack capabilities as well as air-independent propulsion for longer underwater endurance, for over Rs 50,000 crore.

Navy is unhappy with the current plan to build three of these submarines at the overloaded MDL, after the direct import of two from the selected foreign collaborator, with the sixth coming up at Hindustan Shipyard in Visakhapatnam.

MDL, however, is confident. "By end-2012, we will complete the fabrication process for all the six Scorpenes. So, by early 2013, we will be ready to begin P-75I since the fabrication facility will be idle," says Vice-Admiral Malhi.

India, of course, is also set to get the Russian Akula-II class nuclear-powered submarine K-152 Nerpa, to be rechristened INS Chakra, on a 10-year lease by November-December. But the real underwater punch will come when India's own nuclear submarine, the over 6,000-tonne INS Arihant, becomes operational by 2012-2013.

All six Scorpene subs will be delivered from 2015 to 2018, says Mazagon Dock chief - The Times of India

 

[peep]

Fcck you -> MDL

 

[sudhir007]

‘Plans afoot to augment capacity for Scorpene construction' - Brahmand.com

State-owned shipyard Mazagon Dockyards Limited (MDL) has said that capacity augmentation will help it reduce delays in the delivery of the first of the six Scorpene class submarines to nine months.

The diesel-electric Scorpenes are currently being built in a single workshop at the yard and plans are afoot to make a second workshop operational by 2013, MDL chairman and managing director Vice Admiral (retd) HS Malhi told reporters here.

"There will be two lines of submarine construction instead of the one (at present). So you will have two workshops simultaneously making submarines and getting launched from different venues. This way we will be able to compress time schedules," he said.

As per the original schedule, first of the six submarines was to be delivered in December next year and, thereafter, one each every year till December 2017.

But about a couple of years ago, the Defence Ministry had said the first of the six submarines is expected to be delivered by the second half of 2015 due to problems in the absorption of complex technology, augmentation of MDL infrastructure and procurement of material.

At present, construction work of all the six Scorpene submarines, which is being done in collaboration with the French, has started and MDL will meet the targeted timeline of August 2015 for the delivery of the first submarine, Malhi said.

However, he admitted that the delivery of the last of the submarines will be delayed by nine months to September 2018, as against the target deadline of December 2017.

The second workshop will be operational from the fourth submarine stage and will help in getting the delivery schedules compressed, Malhi said.

On future projects, he said even as MDL prepares for delivery of the first batch of six scorpenes to the Navy, it is ready to take up building the next series in the Scorpene class, code named Project 75-I.

Hull fabrication facilities will go idle by the end of 2012 by when all the six Scorpenes will go for outfitting and, hence, MDL will be in a position to take up a new project.

"Project 75-I can commence while the P-75 (the six Scorpenes) is going into the outfitting stage and getting completed," he said.

Besides the new workshop for the Scorpenes, Malhi said the MDL has also undertaken a modernisation project which will help in bringing down delivery time for warships.

As part of the programme, MDL is erecting a 300-tonne crane, a wet basin close to the water front and other workshops that will help it carry out integrated construction of vessels.

According to a senior MDL official, the entire project will be over by next December.

The yard has bagged a Rs 29,345-crore order from the Navy to build four warships as part of the Project 15 Bravo destroyers which will include ships identical to the already operational INS Delhi-class destroyers, Malhi said.

The key thing for MDL, he said, is to reduce delays in delivery rather than worry about the costs. He also dismissed allegations of cost escalations saying ships which MDL makes are cost effective considering the superior weapon systems and higher tonnage which it offers.

 

[faithfulguy]

Maybe India is now only concentrating on the nuclear power subs and so the diesel electric ones are 2nd line subs anyway.

 

[Kinetic]

The yard has bagged a Rs 29,345-crore order from the Navy to build four warships as part of the Project 15 Bravo destroyers which will include ships identical to the already operational INS Delhi-class destroyers, Malhi said.

What happened to Ajai Shukla I do not know!!!!

 

[Yeti]

up building the next series in the Scorpene class, code named Project 75-I.


What ever happened to the tender process we sent out to HDW and Spain's Navantia??

 

[Archie]

The yard has bagged a Rs 29,345-crore order from the Navy to build four warships as part of the Project 15 Bravo destroyers which will include ships identical to the already operational INS Delhi-class destroyers, Malhi said.

This little bit of info is slightly incorrect since P15B will be identical to Kolkata class Destroyers with addition of Nirbhay Cruise Missiles ,
Kolkata class though based on Delhi class Destroyers inducted in 1999-2001 , still incorporate significant advances in technology , as well as RCS reduction features
Infact Kolkata class and Shivalik class are only Indian naval Designs which could match there western counterparts and thats also the reason why GOI has made follow on order for Both these ships , with evolutionary improvements rather than a totally new design , as was previous case where a class of warship comprised only 3 ships
Compared to that Shivalik and Delhi/Kolkata class will have 10 warships each

 

[peep]

How come all orders of late are going to French companies or products of french design ?

 

[sancho]

How come all orders of late are going to French companies or products of french design ?

Apart of this and the Mirage upgrade now, there were only minor French orders like avionics and the Scorpenes was most likely procured because of the more useful ToT they provided instead of the Germans, ToT that helps us develop our own SSNs/SSBNs. France has good experience in this field, while Germany haven't, which might was the key advantage for them.
However, more French stuff wouldn't be a bad idea at all, because they have a lot of interesting arms and techs on offer, especially in the naval area:

NG naval design expertise

Mistral class LHD

L-Cat landing vehicles

Rafale M