SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni have agreed to explore defence cooperation between the two countries and are looking at the co-development and co-production of defence equipment in India.
In 2021, India formally lifted the ban on Italian firm AgustaWestland and its parent company Leonardo, paving the way for them to take part in multiple ongoing projects and bid for upcoming defence contracts.
Italian firm WASS, owned by the AgustaWestland which is now called Leonardo is keen to restart negotiations for the sale of Black Shark, a new generation heavyweight Torpedo that was selected by the Indian Navy to be armed on the Six Kalvari Class Submarines but in 2016, the deal was cancelled due to AgustaWestland chopper scam.
German Atlas Elektronik and French Naval Group are in the final race for supplying heavyweight torpedoes for the Indian Navy’s tender to acquire around 100 of them for the Kalvari class and Arihant class nuclear submarines but no deal has been finalized yet.
Black Shark heavyweight torpedoes ready have been incorporated into the Submarine Tactical Integrated Combat System suite of the Kalvari Class Submarines and won’t require upgrades to the system unlike if India goes for German or French heavyweight torpedoes. India’s plans to develop submarine-launched heavyweight torpedoes based on the modified Varunastra torpedoes will take a few more years.
NOTE : Article cannot be reproduced without written permission of idrw.org in any form even for YouTube Videos to avoid Copy right strikes