Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG has offered India the bigger 214 version of HDW-class submarines. Conventional diesel submarines are on offer for a $4.8 billion deal for six submarines under Project 75I.
HDW-Class Submarines To Indian Navy
Germany’s ThyssenKrupp AG has offered India the bigger 214 version of HDW-class submarines. Conventional diesel submarines are on offer for a $4.8 billion deal for six submarines under Project 75I. As against the required 24 conventional submarines, the Indian submarine fleet has only 16 submarines, and apart from the six recently-built submarines, the rest are over 30 years old and approaching their decommissioning date.
Considering it took 11 years for the first Scorpene class submarine to enter the Indian Navy’s fleet after signing the deal, the subs to be built under Project 75I are at least a decade away from entering operations. The Indian government’s thrust on ‘Make in India’ indicates that the Indian Navy will go with the bidder offering the best and largest technology transfer.
While announcing the tender in July, the Ministry of Defence said it expected substantial technology transfer to Indian shipyards apart from providing the submarines with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP). The AIP technology helps conventional vessels stay underwater for longer.
“The existing 214 is a standard design, which will need some modification to meet the (Indian) Navy’s requirements. It is not unusual. The Type 209s that India got from Germany in the mid-80s and built two of it in India were also modified to Indian specifications”.
HDW Class 214 Submarines
The HDW Class 214 submarines are single-hull, one-compartment submarines that fuse the design principles of the HDW Class 209 family and the outstanding features of the HDW Class 212A boats. The Type 214 is a class of diesel-electric submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH. As an export design, it lacks some of the classified technologies of the Type 212, such as the non-magnetic steel hull, making it difficult to detect using a magnetic anomaly detector.
Increased diving depths, the modular weapon and sensor mix, and the fully integrated AIP features make the HDW Class 214 essential for augmenting India’s naval strength as the Chinese submarines are making an unprecedented foray into the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
India Levels Up Underwater Game
China’s submarine force makes even the world powers apprehensive of its sheer numbers. Its submerged force has 76 platforms – comprising 8 SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines), 13 SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines), and 55 SSKs (diesel-electric submarines). Beijing makes no bones about its intentions to dominate the Indo-Pacific and, more specifically, the Indian Ocean Region. India’s submarine capability remains woefully short, with only 16 conventional and one SSBN (INS Arihant). One SSN Akula class submarine on lease from Russia is yet to arrive.
•The coming of AIP technology to the Indian Navy will put its fleet in a better position than Pakistan, with all three of its French Agosta-90B (PNS Khalid, Saad, and Hamza) powered by AIPs.
•Pakistan is also expected to receive eight 39 A Yuan-class AIP-powered submarines by the end of 2023 under a US$5 billion deal with China.
