India is set to seal two long-awaited submarine acquisition projects worth more than ₹1 lakh crore, in what is being described as a decisive step to strengthen the Navy’s undersea warfare capabilities amid China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific.
According to top defence sources, both contracts are expected to be finalised by mid-2026, after years of bureaucratic delays and technical negotiations.
The first project involves the procurement of three additional Scorpene-class diesel-electric submarines, to be built jointly by Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai, and France’s Naval Group. Estimated at ₹36,000 crore, this follow-on order extends the existing Project-75 under which six Scorpene submarines — INS Kalvari, Khanderi, Karanj, Vela, Vagir, and Vagsheer — were delivered between 2017 and 2024. The additional boats will help plug critical gaps as ageing Russian Kilo-class and German HDW submarines near retirement.
Parallelly, the Ministry of Defence is advancing the ambitious Project-75 India (P75-I), a ₹65,000-crore programme to construct six new-generation stealth submarines equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) and advanced weapon systems. German shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has already partnered with MDL for the project, which is being billed as one of the largest “Make in India” defence ventures.
Cost negotiations for P75-I are expected to take six to nine months, with the final contract likely signed in 2026. However, deliveries for both Scorpene and P75-I submarines will begin only around 2032, given the long shipbuilding timelines.
The Navy has been pressing for urgency, warning that delays could weaken India’s maritime posture in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), where the Chinese PLA Navy has been stepping up submarine patrols. MDL has been tasked with expanding its infrastructure to manage both projects simultaneously and avoid the setbacks that marred earlier submarine programmes.
The submarine push comes on the heels of other major Indo-French defence deals, including the ₹64,000-crore Rafale-Marine contract signed in April 2025 for deployment on INS Vikrant. Together, these acquisitions underscore India’s strategy of strengthening both air and undersea warfare capabilities in tandem.
Defence experts say the two submarine projects mark a defining phase in India’s maritime security strategy — the Scorpene order delivering near-term reinforcement through proven technology, and P75-I ensuring long-term capability with cutting-edge features.
