Navy to acquire AIP technology for Scorpenes

[sudhir007]

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The Hindu : Sci-Tech / Technology : Navy to acquire AIP technology for Scorpenes

The navy’s Scorpene submarines are likely to have increased operational range and also do away with surfacing to access atmospheric oxygen, thanks to the new Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology.

The submarines, under construction at the Mumbai-based Mazagon Docks Limited, are likely to get the AIP technology that will increase their operational range without having to surface to access atmospheric oxygen.

The navy is considering various options available with it to fit the last two of the six submarines under the project, codenamed P75, with the AIP including the proposal made by French defence company DCNS.

DCNS Chairman and CEO Patrick Boissier, who is part of French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s delegation to India, told reporters here that his firm has made an informal proposal to the navy in this regard.

“We have made an informal proposal to the navy for AIP technology in the last two of the Scorpenes that will be built at MDL. Now it is up to the navy to take a call on this proposal. We have held informal discussions in this regard,” Boissier said.

“The navy is considering the proposal and will take a call on it. We have some options, apart from the DCNS one, including an indigenous AIP system that is under development,” a navy officer, unwilling to be named, said here.

AIP encompasses technologies that allow a submarine to operate without the need to surface or use a snorkel to access atmospheric oxygen and it usually excludes the use of nuclear power, but is about augmenting or replacing diesel-electric propulsion system of non-nuclear vessels.

Several countries in the world currently adopt the AIP technology in the submarines that they build and these include the US, Russia, France, Germany, Spain and Sweden.

Though the Scorpenes, being built with DCNS and Tales help at MDL, did not envisage AIP for the six submarines under the P75 project, the navy’s second line of six conventional submarines, called P75I, which were recently approved by the government, will incorporate the technology.

Talking about P75, Bossier said DCNS was in charge of major transfer of technology (ToT) to MDL for the building of 6 Scorpene submarines.

“We are carrying out genuine transfers of technologies and know-how at an unprecedented level under the Scorpene project right from the first submarine, which is under construction at present,” he said.

DCNS is providing Indian partners with technical assistance to manufacture equipment through indigenisation programmes.

“MDL has today absorbed the demanding technologies associated to hull fabrication. The shipyard modernisation programme launched by MDL will allow it to deliver more than one submarine per year,” he added.

The Scorpene project is currently delayed by over two years now and the first submarine is expected to be delivered by MDL only in 2012, after which the remaining five are expected at the rate of one submarine every year.

Boissier said MDL had already done the work on the hulls for the first two of the six Scorpenes and the work on the third and fourth vessels’ hulls were in progress.

“The frame to receive the hull of the fifth submarine is in progress. As you know, the launch of the first submarine has been delayed. We are constantly working with MDL and Delhi authorities to achieve the earliest possible date of launch,” Boissier noted.

At present, the outfitting works on the first Scorpene are in progress and the delivery of combat system equipment for it would happen soon. The other five submarines would get the equipment at the rate of one per year.

For the upcoming stages of the building (outfittings, systems integration and trials), Boissier said an new approach was needed at the MDL and together with DCNS, the shipyard had set up a ‘task force’ to monitor quality and improve efficiency.

“MDL is the only Indian naval shipyard to have produced submarines in the past. However, the competencies developed have seen a dip in the last 15 years.

“Considering submarines technologies, this is a huge gap to fill. Human competences, when not maintained, disappear slowly but surely. Industrial capacities too become weak or obsolete. You, therefore, have to consider new investments and learning stages that cost both time and money. It is crucial to keep competencies and industrial capacities up to date to perpetuate the investments made,” he said.

[Kinetic]

Scorpene is the worst deal so far for the Navy even worse than Gorshkov. If they didn't got the AIP than for what they paid so much huge money?

[johnny boy]

we need the aip ...........im wondering if we can build nuke subs then why cant we build our own damn deisel subs.............

[Yeti]

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What is the current status of construction of the submarines at MDL? When is the first submarine likely to roll out of MDL?

Building a submarine is something very complex. We started this programme five years ago, first by transferring technology to MDL. Developing submarine technologies takes a very long time and (a) lot of expertise. MDL is currently fabricating the hulls. You must understand that constructing a hull is not just welding steel. The foremost concern is the safety of the crew. A submarine, therefore, has to be reliable. It has to have good acoustic dispersion, so that there is no noise. In order to achieve that, you have to be very precise. MDL has completely mastered that technique. The hulls of two submarines have been completed and work on the third is under way.

Can you update us on the matter of transfer of technology?

I can say that as far as the hull is concerned, the transfer of technology has been completely done. We make a regular check of the people in the yard. I must say that the people at MDL are very good. They have achieved very high standards, which are even better than the French standards.

There was an issue related to the procurement of some critical equipment from Armaris—as part of the Mazagaon Procurement Material (MPM) category—which was earlier quoted at anywhere between $700 million and $1.044 billion, but the price was brought down to $444 million during the recent visit to Paris by Indian defence secretary Pradeep Kumar. Can you confirm this? (Armaris is a joint venture between DCNS and Thales SA, the European maker of defence electronics. MPM refers to a set of critical components that are to be imported, and on which France had earlier refused to transfer technology. There were also problems related to cost negotiations.)

The MPM pertains to all the equipment that is in the submarine. It took some time for us to resolve the MPM order. All the issues related to the MPM equipment have been settled and it has been ordered. A part of this equipment will be produced in India. So we can say that the programme is now fully on track. The cost of the MPM equipment will be in line with the budget.

http://www.livemint.com/2010/12/0721....html?atype=tp



This article shows why we having problems building the french subs.