SOURCE: AFI
India’s underwater ambitions are surging forward on dual tracks, but not without stirring confusion and debate. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is gearing up to seek Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval for Project-76—a bold plan to design and build six next-generation electric-conventional (diesel-electric) submarines with cutting-edge indigenous technology. Yet, even as this homegrown effort gains momentum, India is poised to procure six German submarines under Project-75I, to be locally manufactured with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). This parallel pursuit has puzzled India’s defense community, with many questioning why the nation is betting on foreign collaboration when it claims the know-how to go it alone—and fast-track its own program instead.
Project-76 represents DRDO’s vision for a fully indigenous submarine fleet, building on decades of experience from the Arihant-class nuclear submarines and Project-75’s Scorpène collaboration with France. With CCS approval expected within two months (by April 2025, per sources to The Hindu), the program aims to deliver six diesel-electric submarines boasting 90-95% indigenous content—think weapons, sonars, combat systems, and DRDO’s phosphoric acid-based Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system. Displacing 3,000-4,000 tons, these boats promise lithium-ion batteries, pump-jet propulsion, and possibly vertical launch systems (VLS) for cruise missiles, with design completion targeted for 2028 and the first hull afloat by 2033-34.
DRDO’s confidence isn’t unfounded. Its AIP, scalable to 20 kW per fuel cell, matches global benchmarks, extending underwater endurance beyond the Scorpene’s 21 days. Collaboration with the Navy’s Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and lessons from Project-75’s 70% localization fuel optimism that India can craft a world-class submarine without foreign crutches. “We’ve built nuclear boats; conventional ones are within reach,” a DRDO official boasted to idrw.org in January 2025, pointing to the Arihant’s 90% indigenous build as proof.
Meanwhile, Project-75I—a ?70,000 crore deal for six AIP-equipped submarines—has cleared a major hurdle. On February 24, 2025, posts on X announced CCS approval for MDL and TKMS to jointly build these boats, leveraging Germany’s HDW Class 212/214 design. With field evaluation trials of TKMS’s AIP completed in March 2024 and contract talks underway, deliveries could start by 2030-31. The deal, born from a 2023 government-to-government pact during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s India visit, promises technology transfer and local manufacturing—hallmarks of India’s “Make in India” push.
Yet, this overlap with Project-76 baffles observers. The German submarines, while advanced, echo capabilities DRDO claims to already possess: AIP, stealth, and missile-launch potential. Critics argue that India’s track record—six Scorpenes built with Naval Group, four Shishumar-class with HDW, and Arihant’s nuclear tech—equips it to skip foreign collaboration and double down on Project-76. “Why buy German when we can build better, faster?” asked a defense analyst on X in February 2025, echoing a sentiment rippling through forums and think tanks.
The Indian Navy and MoD offer a pragmatic defense: timing and numbers. With only 17 conventional submarines in service—seven aging Kilos, four HDW Type 209s, and six Scorpenes—half are operational at any time, far short of the 24 needed to counter China’s 40-plus diesel-electric fleet and Pakistan’s growing underwater arsenal. Project-75I’s six boats, built on a proven design, promise a quicker infusion of capability, with MDL’s expertise ensuring delivery by the early 2030s. Project-76, still in preliminary design (despite DRDO’s January 2025 request for a Kilo-class testbed), won’t field its first sub until 2033-34—too late for immediate needs.
Cost and risk also factor in. Project-75I’s ?70,000 crore leverages German expertise to mitigate development hiccups, while Project-76’s eight-year timeline carries uncertainties—past Kaveri engine delays haunt DRDO’s record. “We can’t bet the Navy’s future on an untested design,” a retired commodore told Business Standard in 2024, defending the dual approach as a hedge against failure. Posts on X suggest TKMS might even share design insights for Project-76, a claim bolstered by a January 2025 idrw.org report that Germany’s new submarine design could inform India’s indigenous effort.
Yet, skepticism abounds. Detractors see Project-75I as a costly redundancy—?11,000 crore per sub versus Project-76’s potential economies of scale with 12 boats (a Navy Chief’s 2023 BharatShakti.in vision). “If we’ve got the tech, why not fast-track Project-76 with that ?70,000 crore?” an industrial watcher asked idrw.org. The German deal, they argue, perpetuates reliance on foreign OEMs, contradicting “Atmanirbhar Bharat.” DRDO’s AIP, already slated for Scorpene refits in 2025, and MDL’s mastery of submarine construction (five Scorpenes delivered, sixth nearing completion) bolster claims that India could go solo now.
The defense community’s confusion peaks over strategic intent. Some speculate Project-75I is a geopolitical play—deepening Indo-German ties to counter China—or a sop to MDL’s order books amid HAL’s fighter jet focus. Others see bureaucratic inertia, with Project-75I’s 1999 roots trundling on despite Project-76’s promise. “It’s MRFA all over again—dithering delays self-reliance,” a commenter quipped, likening it to the stalled 114-jet tender.
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