Moscow has formally informed New Delhi that it will not participate in the tender to purchase six Project-75(I) submarines by India. In 2021, India launched a competition to deliver submarines based on collaboration with foreign companies.
Instead, Russia is proposing to India that they work together on the design and production of non-nuclear versions of submarines of this sort, which would be based on the Russian Amur-1650 concept.
At the Aero India 2023 expo, which began on February 13 in Bangalore, India, Vladimir Drozhzhov, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS), said that the Russian plan calls for an international agreement to be reached for the collaborative design and production of an Indian submarine that does not have nuclear capabilities.
According to the statement made by Vladimir Drozhzhov to RIA Novosti, the level of localisation of manufacturing in the programme execution based on the Russian platform, Amur-1650, can be enhanced to 70-80 per cent if one takes into consideration the experience that Russia has had working with the Indian side on previous naval projects.
According to the official, the air-independent power plant that the Indian side will use can be a Russian, Indian, or joint-production engine. Drozhzhov pointed out that this collaboration is appropriate given the long-term engagement between the two countries in supplying and manufacturing Russian-style military equipment while also being in full compliance with the “Make in India” policy. Drozhzhov made this observation in the context of the long-term engagement between the two countries.
New Delhi is looking to move beyond a hierarchical buyer-seller relationship and towards a co-development and co-production model, whether India is the buyer or seller.
“When we buy defence equipment from our esteemed partner countries, very often they share technical know-how, establish manufacturing facilities in India and work with our local firms on various subsystems,” said the Indian Defense Minister while addressing the conclave of defence ministers of several countries, which takes place as part of the Aero India 2023 international air exhibition in Bangalore in the south of the country.
The Amur-class submarines are positioned as an export version of the Project 677 Lada submarines and an upgraded version of the Project 636 Varshavyanka submarines (improved Kilo-class). These Amur-class submarines include improved acoustic stealth, new combat systems, and the option of installing an anaerobic AIP. These innovative submersibles represent the fourth generation of their respective class.
The Amur-1650 project’s objective is to construct a submarine with a maximum depth of 300 metres, a top speed of 19/22 knots, a range of 45 days, a crew of 35 people, and a capacity to carry nuclear weapons. The submarine can transport mines, torpedoes, and missiles with 3M-54 Kalibr or Brahmos missiles.
