Latest news with #Scorpene-class
India.com
5 days ago
- Politics
- India.com
Rs 230000000000: Huge amount of money may go waste as India fails to upgrade its diesel-electric submarine; India Navy is now...
India's nuclear-powered submarines. (File) New Delhi: In a matter of concern for the Indian Navy, India's plan to enhance the stealth and underwater endurance of its Scorpene-class submarines has been delayed as DRDO's Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system is still not ready. Notably, INS Kalvari, currently under refit, will not get the upgrade due to this setback, making it vulnerable to the submarine hunting radars of China and Pakistan in the Indian ocean. Why next AIP Fitment is now pushed to 2026 The AIP project, approved in 2014, has missed multiple deadlines and is now expected to be ready by mid-2026 for INS Khanderi. Meanwhile, all six Scorpene submarines under Project-75 have been inducted, but lack key stealth capabilities. Notably, the Indian Navy has inducted six Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines under Project-75, built by Mazagon Dock with French collaboration at a cost of over Rs 23,000 crore. Also, INS Vagsheer was the latest to join in January 2025. However, the absence of advanced stealth features poses a high operational risk to the Indian Navy in case of a naval conflict. India Navy Chief visits headquarters of Japan's Maritime Self Defence Force Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi was apprised of Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's (JMSDF) organisational structure, objectives and operational role during his visit to the Fleet Headquarters and the Maritime Operations Centre in Tokyo, on Saturday. The engagements during the ongoing visit to Japan by the CNS lays the groundwork for deeper cooperation and mutual understanding in common maritime interests between India and Japan. 'Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, CNS, visited JMSDF's Fleet Headquarters and the Maritime Operations Centre – the nerve centre of Japan's maritime domain awareness. He was briefed on the organisation of JMSDF as also the objectives and roles of the Service. The visit and interactions in Japan pave the way for enhanced mutual understanding in key areas of shared maritime interests,' the Indian Navy posted on X. (With inputs from agencies)
Economic Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
DRDO's eight-year delay hits Indian submarines while Pakistan gains lead underwater
INS Kalvari, India's first Scorpene-class submarine built with French collaboration, is completing a routine maintenance refit at Mumbai's naval dockyard. But one crucial upgrade will be missing. The vessel will not be retrofitted with the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) plug, as originally planned. Defence ministry sources told The Times of India that the DRDO-developed AIP system is still not ready for operational use. This system was supposed to extend the underwater endurance and stealth of the Navy's diesel-electric submarines. "The fuel cell-based AIP system developed by DRDO's Naval Materials Research Lab, which has L&T as the prime industry partner, is still not yet operationally available. Hopefully, it should be ready by the time the second Scorpene (INS Khanderi) comes for her scheduled normal maintenance refit in mid-2026," a source told AIP programme, sanctioned in 2014 with a budget of ₹270 crore, was originally meant to be completed by June 2017. Eight years on, it's still not Independent Propulsion changes how long a submarine can remain underwater. While diesel-electric submarines need to surface or snorkel every few days to recharge batteries, AIP-equipped vessels can stay submerged for up to two weeks. This makes them much harder to detect and significantly boosts their tactical capabilities. Nuclear submarines are even more capable, with virtually unlimited underwater endurance, but they are far fewer in number and serve different strategic 23 July, MDL and Naval Group finally signed an agreement for AIP integration on the Scorpene submarines. The process, known as 'jumboisation', involves cutting open the submarine's hull, inserting the AIP module, and welding it back a precise and delicate operation. Once the AIP system becomes available, each submarine will need to go through this complex refit then, the operational gap remains the pipeline are plans to build three more Scorpene submarines for ₹38,000 crore and six next-generation diesel-electric submarines under Project-75I for ₹70,000 crore. These would come with both AIP systems and land-attack cruise being critical for future capability, neither of these projects has been finalised or signed off next generation of Scorpene submarines will be bigger, with nearly double the mission duration of the current batch. Design changes will include larger crew accommodations, more storage for food, water, oil, and better sanitary capacity will more than double. The new submarines are also being designed to accommodate additional weapons in future, as long as they fit within existing torpedo AIP systems are still out of reach, these upcoming subs will have modernised electric propulsion motors. These are expected to lower energy use and simplify diesel generators will be sourced from a new manufacturer, selected for improved industrial support and after-sales service. This shift could reduce fuel use by around 20 percent and lower vacuum buildup while boost stealth, the new design also includes measures to reduce infrared signatures, overall gas emissions, and the visual upgrades, if executed, will translate to greater range, endurance, and mission meanwhile, is on track to induct eight Yuan-class (also known as Hangor-class) submarines from China. All of them will come fitted with AIP systems. These additions represent a major capability jump and will alter the undersea balance in the already possesses the world's largest navy, which includes more than 50 diesel-electric and 10 nuclear-powered has inducted six Scorpene-class submarines under Project-75, built by Mazagon Docks Ltd (MDL) in partnership with France's Naval Group, at a cost of over ₹23,000 crore. The latest, INS Vagsheer, was commissioned in January this the rest of India's conventional submarine fleet includes seven Russian Kilo-class and four German HDW submarines, most of which are over three decades old. These boats, while still operational, face increasing maintenance challenges and are less capable by modern also has two operational nuclear-powered submarines with ballistic missiles, INS Arihant and INS Arighaat, with a third, INS Aridhaman, expected to be commissioned this submarine programme is moving, but not fast enough. With adversaries pushing forward, delays in indigenous technologies and defence procurement are putting the Navy at a longer it takes to bridge this gap, the harder it becomes to maintain a credible underwater deterrent. The numbers alone are no longer enough. Capability, endurance, and modern systems now matter more than ever.
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Business Standard
29-07-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Mazagon Dock shares plunge 5% as Q1 profit drops; time to book profit?
Shares of Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders plunged over 5 per cent on Tuesday after the company reported a 35 per cent drop in its net profit during the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1FY26). The shipbuilding company's stock fell as much as 5.16 per cent during the day to ₹2,645.9 per share, the biggest intraday fall since May 30 this year. The stock pared losses to trade 3.2 per cent higher at ₹2,699 apiece, compared to a 0.04 per cent decline in Nifty 50 as of 9:36 AM. Mazagon Dock Q1 results The company reported a 35 per cent year-on-year (Y-o-Y) decline in consolidated net profit at ₹452 crore for the quarter ended June 2025, compared to ₹696 crore in the same period last year. Revenue rose 11.4 per cent to ₹2,625.59 crore from ₹2,357 crore a year ago. However, operating performance weakened, with Ebitda falling 53 per cent y-o-Y to ₹302 crore from ₹642 crore. Ebitda margin contracted sharply to 11.5 per cent from 27.2 per cent in the year-ago period. Antique Broking on Mazagon Dock The sharp Y-o-Y decline in profit was primarily due to provisions of ₹540 crore, compared to ₹30 crore in the year-ago quarter, analysts said, adding that these provisions are expected to normalise from the second quarter of FY26. Antique Broking highlighted that a key upcoming catalyst is the expected order for three additional Scorpene-class submarines, which could be awarded to Mazagon Dock on a nominated basis. This order has the potential to more than double the company's current order book. In addition, the award of the P75I and P17B projects, each estimated at ₹70,000 crore, is also on the horizon, further strengthening the company's pipeline. However, the brokerage flagged the risk of delays in the awarding of these large defence contracts. Despite trimming the FY26 earnings per share (EPS) estimate by 8.3 per cent, Antique remains positive on Mazagon Dock, citing its strong order visibility, leadership in submarine manufacturing, and supportive government policies. It maintained a 'Buy' rating with an unchanged target price of ₹3,858 per share. Mazagon Dock share price history Shares of the company fell for the third straight session and currently trade at 2.8 times the average 30-day trading volume, according to Bloomberg. The stock is down nearly 30 per cent from its peak in May. The counter has risen 20 per cent this year, compared to a 4.5 per cent advance in the benchmark Nifty 50. Mazagon Dock has a total market capitalisation of ₹1.07 trillion.
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First Post
28-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Hackers attack France's Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines
Hackers have attacked French defence giant Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines. The hackers have claimed to have accessed up to 1 terabyte of data, including the source code for submarine weapon systems. read more Hackers have claimed to have attacked French defence giant Naval Group, the maker of India's Scorpene-class submarines. The hackers have claimed to have accessed up to 1 terabyte of Naval Group's data, including the source code for submarine weapon systems. The company said that it had not detected any intrusion in its systems and was verifying the authenticity of the hacker's claim. In a statement, the Naval Group said that it had launched an investigation into the matter and was working with the French government. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'All teams and resources are currently mobilised to analyse and verify the authenticity, origin and ownership of the data as quickly as possible. At this stage, no intrusion into our IT environments has been detected and there has been no impact on our activities,' the company said in a statement. The Naval Group is a four-centuries-old French shipbuilder that has made ships and submarines for France and international partners like India. While the company has made aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines for France, India's six Kaveri-class submarines were built in partnership with Naval Group and were based on its Scorpene-class submarines. In 2016, the Naval Group was subject of a hack in which cyberattackers accessed around 22,000 pages related to the company's Scorpene-class submarines. The stolen documents contained 'the entire secret combat capability of the six Scorpene-class submarines that French shipbuilder DCNS has designed for the Indian Navy', according to The Australian that broke the news of the hack. Other than India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Chile are among the countries that have bought Scorpene-class submarines. Hackers claim access to submarines' source code The Naval Group has said that it was the subject of a 'reputational attack' by hackers in a 'context marked by international, business and informational tensions'. The company said that no ransom demand had been made. The hackers published around 30 gigabytes of information on the internet that they claimed belonged to the combat management system of the Naval Group's submarines and frigates and said they have 1 TB of data, according to Financial Times. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The hackers had initially given the Naval Group 72 hours to respond. Separately, The Telegraph reported that the contents published by hackers include the purported source code for submarine weapon systems of the Naval Group. With the source code, bad actors may gain insider knowledge of how the system works, such as the working of its access controls, authentication methods, and algorithms. They may also figure out vulnerability or find ways to insert vulnerabilities through future attacks.
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First Post
14-07-2025
- Business
- First Post
Indonesia's Prabowo in France as Macron's Bastille Day guest, eyes on Rafale, Scorpene
With Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's visit to France for the Bastille Day, the two countries are looking forward to strengthening their defence cooperation and strategic ties. France has eyes on defence deals involving Rafale fighter planes and Scorpene-class submarines. read more Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto is in France to attend the Bastille Day celebrations and both the countries want to turn the visit into a victory. While Indonesia wants to portray Prabowo's visit, which also included engagements with the European Union (EU) leaders, as the president's rising international profile, France wants to capitalise on the visit to deepen the engagement with the country and lay groundwork for defence deals in the works. Indonesia has signed a deal to buy 42 French Rafales and two French submarines. France wants Indonesia, the largest Southeast Asian economy, to buy more as the country faces challenges from China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD However, Indonesia is also seeking a middle ground of sorts in the confrontation with China. In November 2024, Indonesia and China signed a deal that analysts said implicitly recognised China's 'nine-dash line' and hence maritime territorial claims — the 'nine dash line' refer to nine dashes that China has unilaterally and arbitrarily drawn on the map to claim as much as 90 per cent of the South China Sea and its islands as sovereign Chinese territory. France eyes defence deals with Indonesia France wants to sell more Rafale fighter planes and Scorpene-class submarines to Indonesia. In recent years, France has already signed deals with Indonesia for the sale of 42 Rafales, two submarines, and 13 long-range air surveillance radars from France's Thales. In May, when French President Emmanuel Macron visited Indonesia, the two countries signed a preliminary defence agreement that could lead to new orders of French military equipment, including Rafales and Scorpene submarines. 'I am delighted that the letter of intent signed today could open up a new perspective with new orders for Rafales, Scorpenes, light frigates,' said Macron at the time. Defence cooperation has underpinned the France-Indonesia relationship. Indonesia has been modernising its military capabilities and France has emerged as a key partner in this effort. The two nations have been enhancing collaboration in the development and acquisition of strategic weaponry. A strategic realignment France and Indonesia are also looking at a strategic realignment where both the countries seek partners outside of traditional power structures in the region. Under its longstanding commitment to strategic autonomy, France has been foraying into the Indo-Pacific independently of the United States and has found a partner in Indonesia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Similarly, for Prabowo, who has historical ties to France dating back to his military training, the visit to France represents an opportunity to diversify Indonesia's international partnerships beyond traditional powers.
