MDL bats for bigger Scorpene submarines

[angeldemon_007]

Unfazed by mounting criticism over time and cost overruns in building six Scorpene submarines for the Navy under the beleaguered Project 75, Defence shipyard Mazagaon Dock Limited (MDL) would rather have the Navy go in for bigger Scorpenes under the proposed Project 75-I.

“The decision [to choose the type of submarine] is left to the powers-that-be in Delhi, based on their requirements and needs. I cannot really comment on that. But as a shipbuilder, I think we would be tremendously leveraging our skills and expertise attained over a period of four to five years [of building the Scorpenes] if we carry on with a similar kind of submarine. It will certainly make us happy,” Vice-Admiral (retd.) H.S. Malhi, Chairman and Managing Director of MDL told The Hindu at a recent interaction in Mumbai.

“The money shelled out for transfer of technology [ToT] for the Scorpenes currently under construction would be well worth it if you have similar submarines, the Scorpene Plus. Then you are leveraging the technology over many more submarines,” Mr. Malhi added.

With depleting submarine force levels staring it in the face, the Navy had, last year, sought information on bigger conventional submarines with improved attack and stealth features, besides endurance. A request for proposal (RFP) in this regard is awaited. While two of the P75-I submarines thus contracted would be built at the collaborators' yard, the remaining four would be split between two Indian shipyards.

Mr. Malhi said there was no official communication on the MDL being handpicked by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) to build three of these. He, however, maintained that the yard “should be the natural choice, having made six [Scorpenes].” (Reportedly, another PSU, Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL), Visakhapatnam, would get to build one).

It was to MDL's credit, Mr. Malhi said, that it reconfigured all German equipment and stations set up for the construction of HDW submarines in the 1980s and early 1990s to suit the French Scorpenes. So, if the Navy chose a submarine type other than Scorpene, the yard would have to reconfigure the stations all over again as different submarine types used different grades of steel and welding technology. This would also engender teething issues such as difficulty in absorbing technology.

“Since material and technology for different submarine types are different, the skill sets required to build them are varied, too. In terms of pressure hull fabrication, MDL is rated very high and our collaborators sometimes say, not entirely in jest, that they wouldn't mind sourcing pressure hull for the submarines they are going to manufacture for Brazil from us,” said Mr. Malhi.

On the Scorpenes under construction, he said, procurement of material posed a problem in the initial stages. “As we started procuring, we realised the sanctioned amount for material won't be enough to buy the entire lot. So we approached the government with revised figures and got the go-ahead in turn.”

The revised timeline envisages commissioning of the first Scorpene in 2015 following which a submarine would be delivered every nine months. “September 2018 is when the last boat would be due for delivery. The first may take a longer time than originally planned, but when the entire project is completed, the delay would be no more than nine months,” he said.

“The structural and regular outfitting [laying of pipe and cabling] of the first Scorpene has begun and the second is soon to follow suit. Now we are absolutely on track to meet the new contractual provisions. The teething issues are way behind us. Supply of material and armament is steady and the steel comes from France, but ironically, DCNS, the company originally manufacturing Scorpenes, buys it from ArcelorMittal.”

To fastrack Scorpene construction, the yard is setting up a new workshop and a launching platform in the adjoining Alcock Yard. “From the fourth submarine onwards, construction will concurrently take place in two yards. Which means you will have two lines of construction, which will be fully operation when P75-I commences.”

Asked about the reported breach in the East Yard in July that led to submergence of components in the submarine dry dock, the CMD said the flooding would have ‘zero impact' on the course of construction. “We are making a wet basin jutting out into the sea. The basin is also connected to the dry dock of the East Yard. When it was dried up for construction, it was checked for leaks. There was a fissure and water came into the dry dock. We have now filled up the fissure and water is being pumped out. There has been zero impact of this on the Scorpene project,” he said, adding this would have no cost or time implication.

To a query, Mr. Malhi said the termination of collaboration between Spanish Navantia and French DCNS — the developers of Scorpene — had not affected the yard. “We have people from Spain here as part of the ToT agreement carrying out their contractual obligation.”

The Hindu : News / National : MDL bats for bigger Scorpene submarines

 

[angeldemon_007]

The A**holes should be investigated. Looks like both DCNS and MDL officials have screwed India in a planned manner. MDL is right in one thing that every submarine construction is different and they will have to change their set up to build other type of submarine and so the best thing is keep MDL out of this.

Also as per the plan we needed two separate production line for SSK and hence a different shipyard and new submarine hopefullyS-1000 of Amur 1650 should be selected. I also hope we should select a private shipyard (most likely L&T which already has tie-ups to build S1000) so as to get quick supply of these new submarine and also we can evaluate our public shipyards and warn them that next time the project will go to private shipyard if you won't deliver.

 

[Lord Of Gondor]

They are running behind the schedule for building the current Scorpene submarines but wants to build the next set of submarines too?!It is high time that MoD gives the tenders to Pipavav/L&T as they are equipped but do not have any orders!

 

[angeldemon_007]

^^^
If the project is given in a couple of years to L&T then i bet they will still finish it before MDL. Its the best thing, 1 public and 1 private production line. After these two projects the two companies can compete with each other with different design and cost and the best one should be selected. While the winner should be given 75% and the loser should get 25 % production just like FICV.

We now have many shipyards but the production rate and efficiency of these shipyards is like ****. We can make teams of 2 shipyards for every prokject which can compete with each other in the same FICV fashion.

 

[typhoon77]

I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil finishes construction of their Scorpene line before MDL completes india's order. The larger Scorpene's makes sense, you already have the infrastructure set up from the previous line.

Weren't an additional 3 submarines purchased under an option in the contract? Aren't those three being built in France? I swear i read that somewhere.

 

[Kinetic]

“The money shelled out for transfer of technology [ToT] for the Scorpenes currently under construction would be well worth it if you have similar submarines, the Scorpene Plus. Then you are leveraging the technology over many more submarines,” Mr. Malhi added.

Total BS!!!!

After so much delays and cost overrun due to incompetence of the MDL management these guys are still sitting in the chair!!!!

 

[angeldemon_007]

^^^
Agreed. If they really wanna show the real worth of what Government of India has spend in the name of ToT on this badly managed project by MDL. They should start building a new indigenously developed SSK. IN still needs a lot of submarine to tackle both China and Pakistan.
By the time P75 is finished they will very easily get all the approval and will have the design for the next set of submarines for IN and hence they won't have to waste any time otherwise it takes 2-3 years for MOD to approve a project then it will take a couple of years for MDL to start on the project (May be they wait for some very auspicious occasion). The production line will not have to stay vacant.

I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil finishes construction of their Scorpene line before MDL completes india's order. The largerScorpene's makes sense, you already have the infrastructure set up from the previous line.

Yeah it makes sense but according to future plans by IN and MOD, there will be two production lines for SSK. Earlier it was decided one will be Russian and other anyone between French or Germans or Italians. Earlier it was promised to L&T that they will get second production line and so develop a state of the art facility in Tamil Nadu.
But according to the last years news Project 75I will be shared by MDL and HSL Vizag. Although now again their are few talks of giving it to Private shipyards because of the reports submitted by a committee and because of CAG's report which showed the gross ineffectiveness on part of public sector shipyards in their capability to meet IN's requirement.

Weren't an additional 3 submarines purchased under an option in the contract? Aren't those three being built in France? I swear i read that somewhere.

It was hoax because it was only reported by Vishal Thapar and no other news agency. Not to mention neither MOD nor IN nor MDL confirmed this news.

 

[Raje amar]

I wouldn't be surprised if Brazil finishes construction of their Scorpene line before MDL completes india's order. The larger Scorpene's makes sense, you already have the infrastructure set up from the previous line.

Weren't an additional 3 submarines purchased under an option in the contract? Aren't those three being built in France? I swear i read that somewhere.

Navy must excercise the option of 3 subs as all the infrastructure is ready it can be ibnducted without any delays.
also the features as longer sub with API can be implemented form the 5th sub itself.
let the other 6 sub contract run in the desired way (2 from the supplier and 2 each from 2 different privet ship builders).

 

[Kinetic]

Navy should directly buy atleast 3 submarine quickly to fill the short fall. After that MDL can take many more years as they want. Scorpene delayed by 4 years, costing govt hundreds of millions of dollars but not a single person prosecuted, why? The same BS of ToT they are talking for new line of submarines.

DRDO taking less time to make Arihant class submarines than MDL taking to build Scorpene under ToT. They totally messed up things along with DCNS.

 

[jha]

Chhota banane mein itna time liye..bada bana payenge ..?

 

[peep]

Yaar yeh log pipavav ya LnT ko kyon nahin try karte.... bhag !!

 

[angeldemon_007]

Navy should directly buy atleast 3 submarine quickly to fill the short fall. After that MDL can take many more years as they want. Scorpene delayed by 4 years, costing govt hundreds of millions of dollars but not a single person prosecuted, why? The same BS of ToT they are talking for new line of submarines.

Now its 5 years and the cost over-run is over a billion $.