German submarine maker joins hands with MDL to pitch for $5.8 billion deal for 6 stealth boats

The combined MDL-TKMS will be competing for the Indian Navy’s Project 75-I. The government had issued a request for proposal in July 2021 for six next-generation stealth submarines for the Navy. It has been extended until August 2023.

Moving a step further in enhancing the defence cooperation between two countries, Indian warship maker Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) and German giant ThyssenKrupp on Wednesday inked a memorandum of understanding in Mumbai for the construction of six conventional submarines worth $5.8 billion.

The MoU which was signed in the presence of Germany’s defence minister Boris Pistorius, is non-binding or non-financial in nature. The combined MDL-TKMS will be competing for the Indian Navy’s Project 75-I.

The government had issued a request for proposal in July 2021 for six next-generation stealth submarines for the Navy. It has been extended until August 2023. 

According to the RFP document, the foreign submarine maker has to tie up with the domestic warship maker and also has to fully transfer the niche technologies to India, like modern Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP) technology systems that enable the submarines to remain underwater for a longer period.

The two countries have had a strategic partnership since 2000, which has been strengthened through inter-governmental consultations since 2011 at the level of heads of government.

Since 2015, Pistorius is the first defence minister to visit India.

On Tuesday, he held bilateral defence talks with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in Delhi and reviewed the ongoing bilateral defence cooperation activities and explored ways to enhance the military-industrial partnership.