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The Defence Ministry has found that the Indian firm Larsen and Toubro (L&T) bid was non-compliant in the ₹70,000 crore tender for the acquisition of six submarines. Under Project 75 India, the Indian Navy wants to buy six advanced submarines that can stay underwater for three weeks. According to news agency ANI, the Defence Ministry rejected L&T's proposal in partnership with Spanish Navantia because it was not compliant with Indian Navy requirements.
The infra major showed the Indian Navy how their air-independent propulsion system was functioning in Spain. However, officials demanded a sea-proven system, as required in the tender document. This means that state-owned Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders and its partner ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany will be the only vendors left in the race to make the submarines.
Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd said in a stock exchange filing on Thursday that its field trials for the submarine project were successful, and the defence ministry had invited the company for commercial negotiations next week.
Vendors involved in the programme have been making representations to the government. The Defence Ministry has been moving ahead per project procedures and has vetted the process at all levels. Suggestions have also been made to the concerned officials about dividing the project equally between the shipyards.
The Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders team Ltd recently supplied the last of the six Project 75 Scorpene class submarine INS Vagsheer to the Indian Navy but is going to get orders for three more submarines under Project 75 (Additional Submarine) to be built with French Naval Group support.
Against the backdrop of the fast modernisation of the Chinese Navy, the Indian government has also cleared many submarine projects, including both nuclear and conventional ones. However, India has to catch up quickly to develop the desired capabilities to tackle both China and Pakistan in its area of interest.
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