Spain's Navantia, L&T sign pact to jointly bid for Indian Navy's P75 (I) submarine programme

Spain's Navantia and Larsen & Toubro on Monday signed a Teaming Agreement (TA) in the premises of the Spanish Embassy here, with the purpose of submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy's prestigious P75 (India) submarine program.

Spain's Navantia and Larsen & Toubro on Monday signed a Teaming Agreement (TA) in the premises of the Spanish Embassy here, with the purpose of submission of a techno-commercial bid for the Indian Navy's prestigious P75 (India) submarine program. The agreement was signed in the presence of SN Subrahmanyan, L&T CEO & MD and Augustin Alvarez Blanco, Naval Construction Vice President, and Member of the Board- Navantia.

Project 75 (I) requires the Indian bidder to tie up with a Foreign Collaborator (FC) and execute the program for delivery of six conventional submarines equipped with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) while achieving targetted Indigenous Content. "Expected to be valued at over Euro 4.8 billion, the project is India's largest defence acquisition project. This would also be followed by a 30-year lifecycle sustenance contract of similar value. P75(I) would be the first program to be processed under the ambitious Strategic Partnership (SP) model of the acquisition of the Ministry of Defence. L&T and Navantia signed an MoU for the program on April 11, 2023, at Madrid, which has now culminated in this TA," L&T said in a statement.

"As per the agreement, Navantia would carry out the design of P75(I) submarines based on its S80 class of submarines, the first of which was launched in 2021 and is undergoing sea trials prior to its delivery to Spanish Navy at the end of 2023," the statement read. "Apart from S80 class, Navantia has been involved in the design and construction of Scorpene class of submarines together with DCNS (Now Naval Group) of France, which have been exported to Chile and Malaysia. Navantia has also been involved in the Scorpene submarines (Kalvari class) built in India including handholding of the Indian yard," it read.

P75(I) program calls for the integration of an AIP system. Navantia's state-of-the-art 3rd Generation AIP solution is the most advanced and efficient AIP system in the world, apart from also being the most compact, easiest to exploit and maintain and environment friendly. It uses bioethanol as a source of hydrogen which is known to be cost-efficient, easily available, and does not call for any special infrastructure. The high density of hydrogen in ethanol improves the AIP system's efficiency. Ethanol, being in liquid form, eliminates the risks associated with storing hydrogen. In addition, the wide availability of ethanol enables the system to be refuelled anywhere in the world.

L&T and Navantia are also seeking cooperation in other military programmes as well as in green energy opportunities, including offshore wind through the Navantia Seanergies division. Commenting on the occasion, SN Subrahmanyan, CEO & MD, L&T said, "L&T is proud to collaborate with Navantia for this prestigious program of strategic importance for the nation's security. Navantia's glorious 300-year-old track record in naval construction & technical expertise gives us a competitive advantage in this program and offer the Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology (BEST) and environmentally Green AIP solution. We are committed to providing the most contemporary solution for Indian Navy's requirements at a competitive price." (ANI)

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