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Biman Mukherji

India’s long-delayed plan to build six advanced conventional submarines with Germany has moved closer to final approval, a deal analysts say could test the depth of New Delhi’s “Make in India” defence ambitions while helping it respond to growing undersea pressure from Pakistan and China.
The US$7.3 billion deal would involve building submarines for the Indian navy with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), primarily at Mumbai’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, India’s premier public sector defence shipyard.
Indian media have reported that the proposal is expected to go before the Cabinet Committee on Security, whose approval would clear the way for the contract to be signed. German officials have also publicly expressed confidence in recent months that the deal will conclude soon.
The deal, known as Project 75(I), has been delayed for years due to lengthy evaluations of complex technical specifications and commercial terms.
It is expected to give India critical design and engineering know-how to help build a domestic submarine industrial base over the long term, rather than simply adding more foreign-made platforms to its navy.

The development comes as two-thirds of India’s conventional diesel-electric submarines are more than 25 years old and nearing the end of their operational life.
Rival Pakistan received the first of eight planned Hangor-class diesel-electric attack submarines from China in June, adding urgency to India’s efforts to modernise its own underwater fleet.
“These platforms will markedly expand Pakistan’s ability to operate quietly in the Arabian Sea and approaches to the Indian Ocean,” said Srinivasan Balakrishnan, director at Delhi-based security think tank Indic Researchers Forum.
China’s security forces, too, had “normalised a persistent presence across the Indian Ocean”, he said. “When paired with China’s growing maritime footprint, the combination creates a two-front undersea challenge that India cannot ignore.”
Balakrishnan said India’s submarine deal with Germany was important for restoring balance so that the Indian Ocean remained a domain of commerce without offering any “unilateral advantage”.
The Indian Ocean is a key passage for imports of essential raw materials such as crude oil and product exports for both China and India.
Conventional submarines were important for monitoring possible maritime chokepoints and protecting sea lines for the transport of materials, Balakrishnan said.

The project to build advanced submarines in India is also seen as a benchmark for expanding ties with Germany.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who assumed office last May, selected India as the destination for his first Asian visit in January.
Both India and Germany consider the Indo-Pacific region vital for global trade and maritime routes.
Germany has gradually shifted towards greater openness and flexibility in exporting defence technology and military equipment to India following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has helped advance the submarine project.
The strategic shift called Zeitenwende views defence cooperation with Delhi as a key avenue to support democratic partners and reduce India’s reliance on Russian military hardware.
The submarine project is expected to introduce higher-end German Air Independent Propulsion technology which will enable submarines to stay submerged for weeks instead of days.
“The first boat is expected roughly seven years after contract signature, with subsequent deliveries annually thereafter,” said Balakrishnan, adding that the deal was expected to offset both India’s fleet obsolescence and the arrival of the Hangor-class submarines in Pakistan.
He said the sooner India’s Cabinet Committee on Security approved the contract, the clearer Delhi’s “signal of resolve and preparedness” would be.

Last mile on the horizon
Sanjay Iyer, a retired brigadier in the Indian army who also served as the country’s defence attaché to Germany, said the final approval of the submarine deal now depended only on “whether the technology Germany is offering to hand over is extensive enough to justify the price”.
The declared local content required ranged from about 45 per cent on the first submarine to roughly 60 per cent on later ships, he said.
TKMS had described its offer as a “no-holds-barred transfer in line with [the] Make in India” initiative, a claim that Indian evaluators were testing, he added.
Delhi considers the Make in India initiative vital for its defence because it reduces heavy reliance on foreign arms imports, protects national security during geopolitical crises, and builds domestic technological capabilities.
According to Iyer, what works in India’s favour is that the German company will have to work with Mazagon Dock to integrate Indian specifications on the submarines, which will push German and Indian engineers into joint development rather than a scenario where a contractor provides exact blueprints.
“This converts the project from a licence into a collaboration,” he said.
Mazagon Dock previously built German HDW (Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft) Type 209/1500 submarines under a licence and technology transfer agreement from 1984 to 1994. They assembled the third and fourth Shishumar-class boats from kits supplied by Germany.
TKMS has been building a network of Indian partners, suggesting the company is prepared for the long haul to cater to India’s underwater warfare capabilities, according to local media reports.
Iyer noted that what was important was not only the transfer of technology “know-how”, but also the “know why” covering aspects involving later modifications that would teach India more about design.


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The deal is expected to give India critical design and engineering know-how to help build a long-term domestic submarine industrial base


The deal is expected to give India critical design and engineering know-how to help build a long-term domestic submarine industrial base.


How a German submarine deal could test ‘Make in India’ ambitions

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The deal is expected to give India critical design and engineering know-how to help build a long-term domestic submarine industrial base

The deal is expected to give India critical design and engineering know-how to help build a long-term domestic submarine industrial base