In New Delhi, the Defence Minister, Manohar Parikkar, suggested to the Navy Chief Admiral, Robin K. Dhowan, that the Indian Navy must exercise its options for three more Kalveri (Scorpene) or go for the acquisition of six of the Project 75-I, air-independent propulsion-equipped submarines. Admiral Dhowan opposed the options clause for Project 75 I, which was approved by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003 and was canceled in September 2016. On July 20, 2021, the Ministry of Defence quoted a request for proposals (RFP) for AIP-equipped six Project 75-I class submarines for Rs. 40,000 crores. Because it is customary for the Indian military-civilian bureaucracy to take at least 10 to 15 years to complete any major acquisition, the current Scorpene submarine line at MDL will be put to seed with an upcoming set of 75-I class submarines being built in the late 2030s with massive new investments on the submarine line. All of this will appear to be setting the stage for a change.
Simultaneously, AIP-equipped submarines have been surpassed by modern Soryu-class Japanese submarines outfitted with longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries that can store twice the capacity of traditional lead-acid batteries, significantly increasing the submarine’s range. Given that the French had moved to nuclear propulsion and the Germans to lithium-ion technology ahead of AIP submarine technology, the Modi government is more likely to end up with single vendor options, with South Korea being the only country building AIP submarines, which means that by the time the Indian bureaucracy finalizes the vendor, the technology will be outdated and outclassed by the Chinese PLA Navy’s rapid technological advances. The path is much closer to the burial of Project 75-I and the construction of the existing Project 75 with the DRDO’s indigenous AIP. With China launching ten warships, including submarines, each year, India has no choice but to adapt to the Indo-Pacific changes.
