First Scorpene submarine to roll out by 2015: Raju

Hyderabad: India is expected to commission its first Scorpene submarine, being developed by French naval construction group DCNS, by 2015, said Union Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju in Hyderabad today. State-owned Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) is producing six SSK Scorpene submarines (P75) under transfer of technology from DCNS. Simultaneously, DCNS India, its Indian subsidiary, is working on the selection of Indian companies as partners for local production of the Scorpene’s equipment.[caption id=“attachment_379405” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] “We are expecting the first submarine to roll out by 2015 …we should have all the submarines by 2018. The total cost is little over Rs 20,000 crore,” Raju said at a press conference in Hyderabad. As per the schedule, hulks of six submarines, considered as a critical part, should be manufactured by the end of the year, he said. To a query, he said India has got investments of Rs 20,000 crore so far due to Indian Defence Offset Policy, that mandates foreign defence equipment suppliers to farm out a certain proportion of the work (30 percent of the contract value) to Indian suppliers. Raju today inaugurated the joint facility of city-based SEC Industries and DCNS that would make 14 critical components for the Scorpene, to be supplied to MDL. French Ambassador François Richier was also present. DCNS India signed a contract with SEC Industries for the manufacture of high technological equipment for the P75 Scorpene submarines in September 2011. The second contract was signed in May this year for additional items. Bernard Buisson, managing director of DCNS India, said these contracts cover an extensive transfer of technology. The Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for the first locally-made P75 cofferdam doors and coamings was successfully performed at SEC Industries in June. The cofferdam doors and coamings are key safety components of the submarine. PTI