New Delhi

Indian conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Spain's Navantia have joined hands to submit a combined bid for India's highly coveted Project 75 (I) submarine programme.

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The teaming agreement (TA) was officially signed on Monday at the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi and witnessed the attendance of S N Subrahmanyan, L&T CEO & MD, and Augustin Alvarez Blanco, Naval Construction Vice President and Member of the Board at Navantia.

Spain's ambassador to India José María Ridao Domínguez, and Spanish Defense Attaché, Captain (Navy) Fernando Alvarez also graced the occasion, emphasising the strong diplomatic ties between Spain and India.

Speaking to WION, ambassador José María Ridao Domínguez expressed Spain's steadfast support for India's ‘Make in India’ initiative, technology transfer, and collaboration in the submarine program.

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He said, "We have elections in two weeks, but the most important thing is that it expresses full engagement and censuses among the political parties in Spain in proving that relations with India, and supporting the idea of Make in India technology transfer and engage with programme of submarines, and this is how Spain can contribute to stability to this part of the world."

Indian Navy's Project 75 (I)

The Indian Navy's Project 75 (I) is an endeavour that requires the indigenous production of six conventional submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP). The project, expected to exceed $5.2 billion in value, represents India's largest defence acquisition programme to date.

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It will be executed under the strategic partnership (SP) model of the Ministry of Defence, emphasising collaboration between Indian and foreign entities.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, CEO & MD of L&T, Subrahmanyan said, “L&T is proud to collaborate with Navantia for this prestigious program of strategic importance for the nation’s security. We are committed to providing the most contemporary solution for Indian Navy’s requirements at a competitive price.”

Navantia's expertise

Under the terms of the agreement, Navantia, drawing from its experience in submarine design, including the S80 class and Scorpène class submarines, will spearhead the design phase for the P75(I) submarines.

Navantia's S80 class submarines, the first of which is set for delivery to the Spanish Navy at the end of 2023, have already undergone successful sea trials.

The Spanish shipbuilder has previously partnered with DCNS (now Naval Group) of France in the design and construction of Scorpène class submarines, which have been exported to Chile and Malaysia.

Earlier this year, Defence PSU Mazagon Dock and Germany's Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems signed a MoU to bid for the project.

The MoU was signed last month during the visit of the German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, to India.

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