Germany hopeful of bagging submarine project RS 50,000 crore with Indian Navy

Source : http://www.brahmand.com

NEW DELHI (PTI): Hopeful of bagging the Rs 50,000 crore project of the Indian Navy for building six conventional submarines, Germany has said that it has offered some "pretty convincing" business offers to the Indian government for cooperation in the defence sector.

German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner said the P-75(I) project was under discussion and that the matter also came up during German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen's visit here last month.

"They did not talk about how this deal should be done...whether this should be Business-to-Business or Government-to -Government. But as our Minister said, from these talks, it was a clear sign that there is potential for cooperation in this field (defence) and also in the field of submarines," he said while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here last night.

German defence major TKMS is offering India its HDW Class 214 vessel and is in talks with leading shipyards in the country for a tie-up.

The Germans are also promising a no-hold barred transfer of technology in line with the Narendra Modi government's 'Make in India' push.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had set up a special committee for the project to identify the shipyards in the country that have the capability and the capacity to build the six submarines. These shipyards will then tie-up with a foreign firm.

Besides the public shipyards, the private players include L&T and Pipavav, in which Anil Ambani-led Reliance group has bought controlling stake. The committee is expected to submit the report soon.

After the Indian government announced a G2G deal with France for 36 Rafale jets, the Germans are hopeful that a deal can be struck faster than earlier.

India currently operates four HDW Type 209 submarines and the first was inducted way back in 1986.

Asked about the Rafale deal, Steiner said European economies are so interwoven that if a French company has an economic success, it is very much in German interest as well.

Russian Strategic Submarine groups to ‘Be Constantly Updated’ – Navy Commander

Source : http://sputniknews.com

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russian nuclear strategic submarine groups in the north of the country and on the far-eastern Kamchatka Peninsula will be regularly updated, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief, Adm. Viktor Chirkov said Friday.

"Groupings of strategic submarines in the North and in Kamchatka will be constantly updated, so we would be able to meet the ambitious criteria required by the rapid development of science and technology," Chirkov said.

Russian submarine building technologies are unique, and will help maintain proper levels of strategic nuclear force development, he added.

Last week, Chirkov said Russia’s nuclear submarines could guarantee security threat deterrence aimed at the country.

Since early 2014, the Russian Navy has doubled its submarine patrols, according to Chirkov.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian submarine fleet was in crisis. Since then, Russia has been modernizing and developing strategic and tactical submarines.

Russia is currently undergoing a $325-billion rearmament program for a 70-percent modernization increase in its military's weaponry by 2020.

New ballistic missiles to be introduced for Chinese submarines

Source : http://www.wantchinatimes.com

The People's Liberation Army Navy has been developing new missiles for its newly developed submarines, according to Moscow-based Military Parade in a June 25 report.

The PLA Navy currently uses Type 093 Shang-class nuclear-powered attack submarines and Type 039A Yuan-class and Type 039 Song-class diesel-electric submarines. These vessels are all currently equipped with YJ-82 cruise missiles. The YJ-82 is set to be replaced by the SS-N-13, however, which has an operational range of 222 kilometers, according to the website.

China is currently carrying out tests on its Type 096 Tang-class ballistic missile submarine. JL-3 submarine-launched ballistic missiles are also being tested and will likely replace the JL-2 missile. Equipped with a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle, the JL-2 can carry between three and four warheads. It is estimated to have an attack range of 7,400 kilometers. When launched from the waters east of Hawaii, the entire United States is in range of the JL-2 missile.

With only a single JL-2, China would be capable of striking between three and four US targets. China is also developing a new third-generation attack-submarine, the Type 095, the website reported. The PLA Navy will use this new submarine to attack enemy surface combat vessels 100 nautical miles away, the website said