Due to war with Ukraine and economic sanctions imposed by Western countries, Russia cannot supply enough arms to India. In such a situation, the Government of India will take a big step to ensure the army gets enough weapons. According to reports, India is entering into an agreement with Germany under which both countries will jointly manufacture diesel-powered submarines in India.
India has been dependent on Russia for decades for necessary military weapons. According to SIPRI, a Swedish organization that monitors arms import and export, Russia exports the maximum number of arms to India. But since the Russia-Ukraine war that has been going on for the last year, Russia has not been able to deliver enough arms to India.
In March, a parliamentary committee quoted the Indian Air Force as saying that Russia had planned to deliver a large consignment of weapons this year. Still, it could not deliver it due to the Ukraine war.
News agency Reuters also said the biggest deal with Russia is the S-400 air defence system. India had signed a deal of 5 air defence systems with Russia for $ 5.4 billion, but only three have been delivered so far. In such a situation, India wants to reduce its dependence on Russia for weapons.
Germany and India To Jointly Build Diesel Submarine
People associated with this deal say there is a possibility of an agreement between India and Germany to construct six submarines for an estimated amount of $ 5.2 billion. The submarine will be jointly built by ThyssenKrupp AG’s marine arm company in Germany and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders of India.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in India on a two-day visit on Tuesday. Major officials of both countries have said this agreement will be signed during this time.
In the interview, he said that his role in this deal was to help negotiate between Indian and German officials. This agreement will be a significant agreement not only for the Indian and German industries but also for the Indo-German strategic partnership.
However, the Indian Defense Ministry and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders have not yet commented on this deal. A German Defence Ministry spokesman and a Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems representative declined to comment on the deal.
Had fruitful discussions with the German Defence Minister, Mr Boris Pistorius. His passion for Yoga is commendable.
We discussed regional issues and our shared priorities. We also agreed to further strengthen defence co-operation between India & Germany. pic.twitter.com/W5ouqtOvIq
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) June 6, 2023
Germany Did Not Show Interest Two Years Ago
When India announced the tender two years ago, Germany’s Kiel-based defence manufacturing company had shown no interest in jointly building submarines in India. But after the beginning of the Ukraine war, China is trying to establish its presence in Europe by improving relations with Russia. In such a situation, experts believe that Germany is trying to build better ties with India to counter China’s increasing diplomatic and military assertiveness in the West.
According to the German news network DW, at the beginning of February 2023, the German government changed the arms export policy for India only. With this change, Germany could easily supply weapons to India. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says, “We want German and European defence companies to help India reduce its dependence on Russia in the defence sector. European countries should increase their efforts to provide modern military weapons to India.”
Other countries involved in the Quad group with India, such as Japan, America and Australia, and other European countries, including Germany, insist on sharing technology for constructing submarines with India. However, European countries are reluctant to share technology with India due to India’s increasing proximity to Russia and the ‘Make in India’ policy to promote local manufacturing and create jobs.
Why German Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems?
India jointly shortlisted Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders and Larsen & Toubro to build diesel-powered attack submarines. At the same time, Germany shortlisted defence company Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is one of the two companies with Air Independent Propulsion.
Air-independent propulsion technology allows conventional submarines to stay underwater for long periods. Apart from this, Thyssenkrupp-built submarines have been used by the Indian Navy. This is why India has preferred it over South Korean company Daewoo and Spanish company Navantia Group.
How Important Is The Submarine For India
India buys modern weapons from Russia to control the border dispute with neighbouring China and China’s interference in the Indian Ocean region. But due to the Ukraine war and economic sanctions, India cannot pay for the weapons it buys from Russia. Because of this, the delivery of weapons from Russia has stopped.
The submarine is very important for India because the subs already in the Indian Army are outdated. The Indian Navy needs at least 24 conventional submarines to patrol the Indian Ocean and monitor Chinese movements effectively, but India currently has only 16 submarines. Out of these 16, except six, the remaining submarines are more than 30 years old and likely to be decommissioned (decommissioned) in the next few years.
