- As the procurement of new submarines under P-75I continues, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has initiated a preliminary study on the design and development of an indigenous conventional submarine under Project-76.
Air Independent Propulsion:
- An AIP module, designed and developed by DRDO, is awaiting installation on the Scorpene-class submarines.
- It is phosphoric acid-based, enhances conventional submarines’ endurance and reduces detection chances by enabling longer submersion.
- The first Scorpene-class submarine, Kalvari, is expected to undergo refit in 2025.
- The Defence Ministry has authorized DRDO to determine the project contours. After this, a formal proposal will be presented to the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for project sanction.
- Project 76 aims to build a conventional submarine with substantial indigenous content, including weapons, missiles, combat management systems, sonars, communications, electronic warfare suites, masts, and periscopes.
- This project will continue the advanced technology vessel (ATV) initiative, which includes the Arihant series of nuclear ballistic missile submarines and another project for nuclear-powered submarines.
- The Navy has a 30-year submarine building program and intends to design and build conventional submarines indigenously after P-75I.
Dig Deeper: Read about ongoing Projects of DRDO and Compare it with ISRO.
