Navantia has on Monday 10th signed a joint venture agreement (’Teeming Agreement’) with Indian company Larsen & Toubro to jointly deliver the techno-commercial offer for the Indian Navy’s P75 submarine program (India).
The signing ceremony was attended by SN Subramanian, CEO and General Manager of L&T and Agustin Alvarez Blanco, Director of Naval Construction at Navantia. Spanish Ambassador to India Jose Maria Ritao Dominguez and Spanish Defense Attaché Captain Fernando Alvarez and senior officials of L&T Defense and Navantia were also present. The event was held at the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi.
Each Indian bidder will have to partner with a foreign collaborator to implement the plan to build six conventional Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP)-equipped submarines with spare parts, simulators, ground support components, training and technology transfer. (ToT). Valued at more than 4,800 million euros, it is the largest acquisition project in the defense sector. This will be followed by a 30-year life cycle maintenance contract for the same value. The P75(I) is the first project to be implemented under the Defense Ministry’s ambitious acquisition Strategic Partnership (SP) model. L&T and Navantia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the project on April 11, 2023 in Madrid, which has now culminated in this deal.
Under the contract, Navantia will carry out the design of the P75(I) submarines based on its S80-class submarines, the first of which was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials before being delivered to the Spanish Navy in late 2023. .
In addition to the S80 class, Navantia participated in the design and construction of the Scorpene class submarines with DCNS (now Naval Group) from France, which were exported to Chile and Malaysia. Navantia is also involved in the Indian-built Scorpene submarines (Kalwari class).
The P75(I) program requires coordination of the AIP system. Navantia’s 3rd generation AIP solution is the most advanced and efficient AIP system, as well as environmentally friendly. It is very compact, easy to operate and maintain. It uses bioethanol as a source of hydrogen, which is profitable, easy to obtain and does not require any special infrastructure. The higher density of hydrogen in ethanol improves the efficiency of the system. Ethanol, being in liquid form, eliminates the risks associated with storing hydrogen. Additionally, ethanol’s widespread availability allows it to be refueled anywhere in the world.
L&T and Navantia are exploring possible ways to collaborate on other military projects and green energy opportunities, including offshore wind through the Navantia Synergies division.
Following the signing of the agreement, SNS said: “L&T is proud to partner with Navantia on this prestigious project of strategic importance to the nation’s security. Navantia’s long history of 300 years in shipbuilding and its technical expertise give us a competitive advantage in this project and provide a greener solution. We are committed to providing the best solution to the needs of the Indian Navy at a competitive price.
For his part, Agustin Alvarez Blanco commented: „We are proud to be the technology and design partner for the P75(I). We are collaborating with L&T for the LPD project and we are looking forward to the bid. With these two prestigious projects for the Indian Navy, Spain is a partner with which we share a great relationship. Navantia plays a vital role in meeting the defense needs of the nation of India.