Indian Navy News & Discussion - 15 Dec 2016

Aditya G · Post by **Aditya G** » 09 Mar 2017 02:02

It could be a bailout for our friends.

Having said that, at this point in time this deal is a concrete step to buy more frigates. The only other frigates are already on order for years and will occupy two yards. They are not in a position to build anything else as project 15B is also in progress. Navy has ensured rapid construction by ensuring deal goes to GSL.

So from a force perspective this is right choice.

The ships themselves are slightly modern compared to talwar class thanks to VL-Shtil. Also iirc they have a longer flight deck.

Selection of yard: clearly PSU shipyards are managing to get the orders despite private competition. Given reliance has not delivered a single NOPV I doNt blame the establishment.

Singha wrote:Another bailout sweetheart deal for our best friends. It never ends.

This when we should have made 2 p17 in goa and licensed 2 p17 construction to some foreign shipyard like yantar if they wanted work hours.

Bheeshma · Post by **Bheeshma** » 09 Mar 2017 04:52

The only way this makes sense is if we are also getting an Akula-II. Otherwise Talwars are obsolete and at the end of their design life. More P-17a would have been smarter move.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 05:14

^ Modified Talwars obsolete? How? They have pretty good punch all around vs undersea, air and ship. But they do seem expensive @ $1 billion each. But they will probably come in very quickly compared to the shivaliks.

In any case, is this contract for the 4 incomplete Grigorovich class ships that are languishing because of the Ukrainian engine fiasco - Adm Makarov, Butakov, Istomin, Kornilov? Or are they totally new builds, from scratch? My guess is that it is the former and therein lies one strong plus regarding this deal - the ships will be inducted quickly.

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 09 Mar 2017 05:17

Shouldn't they be at cost or a discount if they want a quick sale as they are stuck? Whats with the inflated exorbitant price?

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 05:24

^ Licensed production? IIRC there was some chakkar going on with Reliance/Pipavav. But yes, the price is rather steep.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 09 Mar 2017 05:39

A billion each? Or a billion for all 4?
A billion dollars for each is exorbidantly expensive!

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 06:00

^ from the Defencenews article linked to by Admiralji, it is $ 4 billion total sanctioned (INR 20000 crore) for 4 FFGs. Yes, it is rather steep - can't understand it.

Bheeshma · Post by **Bheeshma** » 09 Mar 2017 06:03

Nit worth it. Hopefully dies a natural death like S-400 / Ka-226 etc etc...

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Mar 2017 06:11

Well here is the lowdown on the Talwar Class frigates....Baltisky Zavod actually wanted us to sell us 6 for the price of 3 in the mid 1990s. Some Babu in the MoD said no. Only babus know how to shoot themselves in the foot. So the second batch of Talwar Class frigates would have joined the Navy a lot quicker, but no. Some Babu in the MoD wanted to play nice.

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 09 Mar 2017 06:15

And now they want to charge 3 times the price and see how we react?

Give us 3 free and we don't take...
Give us 1 for price of 3 and see if we bite??

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Mar 2017 06:15

Cain Marko wrote:In any case, is this contract for the 4 incomplete Grigorovich class ships that are languishing because of the Ukrainian engine fiasco - Adm Makarov, Butakov, Istomin, Kornilov? Or are they totally new builds, from scratch? My guess is that it is the former and therein lies one strong plus regarding this deal - the ships will be inducted quickly.

Yes they are....

Admiral Grigorovich Class frigate
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_G ... ss_frigate

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 07:04

Bheeshma wrote:Nit worth it. Hopefully dies a natural death like S-400 / Ka-226 etc etc...

OT for this thread but where did you hear that the S-400 is dying? I thought it was already given the green light. I think MP and IAF are mitigating loss of sqd strength via this purchase. It is certainly more versatile than an outright ABM system like the PAD/AAD in that it can manage moving targets at long and relatively shorter distances. Not a bad idea really, the system has been in the Russian forces for long enough that it has been debugged and hopefully is a relatively seamless integration in Indian services.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 07:06

Cybaru wrote:And now they want to charge 3 times the price and see how we react?

Give us 3 free and we don't take...
Give us 1 for price of 3 and see if we bite??

Could it be that they are paying for FGFA or Akula IIs with this? So that when they announce FGFA deal, it sounds like a great bargain

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 09 Mar 2017 07:25

No transparency only conspiracy? I doubt that. I am more worried some one is making out with large sums of cash if that is the case.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 09 Mar 2017 10:49

For the first Akula, there was a separate payment

$1 Billion is what a Kolkata Class destroyer will cost, not a Talwar/Admiral Grigorovich Class frigate should cost. Even with the sensors and weapons + helo, a frigate should not be anyway near $1 Billion.

DDM must have made a mistake.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 09 Mar 2017 11:12

Baltisky Zavod actually wanted us to sell us 6 for the price of 3 in the mid 1990s.

^^ thats what they always say like the free gorshkov. we know where such freebie deals lead to.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2017 11:41

The yard gave us a cut-off date for 6 for the price of three,it is a fact.The MOD allowed it to lapse ,never even tried later on to get a discount on the follow up 3. I don't think all 4 incomplete frigates will come to us.The RuN also want such ships asap.,hey're making plans to install Ru engines for them. The main idea is to acquire the capability of not just acquiring at speed,but building such frigates by the yard. .The UKR however will have no problem in supplying engines to India as they need orders and cash desperately.These are excellent ships ,built on a proven hull,which in the upgraded ones to be acquired,will carry BMos and B-8/B-8 equiv LR SSMs and SAMs,apart from a comprehensive ASW package which includes an ASW/AEW helo,MBUs,and torpedoes. Unlike most western ships,Russian warships pack much more punch per/t of dpl.

One positive outcome,GSL will now move into the big league of shipbuilding yards,building frigates and later on even larger vessels,which was earlier the perogative only of MDL,GRSE,etc.Once we have about half-a-dozen yards able to build frigates and destroyers,both in the public and pvt.sector, the long lead time for warship and sub delivery will shorten dramatically. Yards can be picked for their individual expertise,just as MDL and HSL are the sub-building yards and Pip=reported earlier,ha signed some agreement about refitting/maintaining Kilo subs.

Cain Marko · Post by **Cain Marko** » 09 Mar 2017 11:42

Gagan wrote:For the first Akula, there was a separate payment

$1 Billion is what a Kolkata Class destroyer will cost, not a Talwar/Admiral Grigorovich Class frigate should cost. Even with the sensors and weapons + helo, a frigate should not be anyway near $1 Billion.

DDM must have made a mistake.

I think you are right - the last contract (second follow on contract for 3 talwars) cost about $ 1 billion IIRC. Can't see why these would be so much more. In any case, here is another report, mentions a more reasonable price:

In the commercial offer submitted later, Russia has quoted about $990 mn for the two ships to be directly imported. For those to be built in India, the commercial offer quoted about $800 mn for “supply of material to ensure construction of the two ships in India” and $51 mn for “supply of project documentation” to ensure their construction. The cost of construction of the two ships in an Indian yard — yet to be identified — was to be arrived at later.

Defence sources said this would steeply push up the overall cost of the two ships and it was seen as a way to ensure that all four ships were imported from Russia. “It will be a serious setback to the Make-in-India initiative,” one official observed.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/S ... 110051.ece

Even $ 475 million per ship seems a bit high and India was not happy. My guess is that it must be 400 million per ship. So, the $ 4 billion cost seems rather like DDM. Maybe it includes the S400?

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 09 Mar 2017 11:48

You can't get 4 ships for just $1B,that would make each just $250M.Our P-28s cost much more.We were DQ'd for the Philippines corvette tender for 2000t corvettes which would've cost around $200M+ each. Here's a note on the much larger P-28s which has cost us ..".$416M"!

P-28 Xcpts from various sites:

At 3400 ton, the vessel is argued to be a small frigate rather than a corvette, and poorly armed. It's also been alleged that the Indian Navy wanted a vessel with the endurance of a 3400 ton frigate and an armament of a 1200 ton corvette.

By August 2011 the major indigenous warship building projects of the Navy running behind schedule are Project-15A, Project-17 and Project-28. The cost escalation in these projects had been about 225% for Project-15A, about 260% for Project-17 and about 157% for Project-28. In the case of P-28, the Navy was using D40S/B-quality high tensile strength steel for construction of warships; however, due to high cost of import, indigenously developed DMR 249A steel was decided to be used on P-28 ships. However, there was delay in development of indigenous steel and associated complexities related to development of new weld consumables and welding techniques. The delay in identification of suitable propulsion package to meet stealth requirement of ships and delay in development of indigenous weapons and sensors also resulted in cost escalation.

NG Corvettes:

In October 2016 the Indian Navy began preparation to build seven 'Next Generation Corvettes' at Indian shipyards that would be capable of offensive surface to surface missile attacks, and anti-submarine warfare operations. According to specifications provided by the Indian Navy, the ship will have a range of not less than 4,000 nm, and will be capable of sailing at 27 knots. The India Navy requires all seven corvettes from 2023. The 120 meter long single hull corvettes, or small warships, will have low radar, acoustic, magnetic, visual and infra-red signatures. "The ship should carry a minimum of 8 surface-to-surface missiles and should be able to engage sea skimming missiles, flying 3-5 m above sea level, up to maximum speed of Mach 3. Active towed array sonar, two light weight torpedo launcher should be fitted to the corvettes," according to the Navy's document.

jayasimha · Post by **jayasimha** » 09 Mar 2017 16:28

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease. ... lid=159013
Print ReleasePrintXClose
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
Ministry of Defence
09-March-2017 16:07 IST
INS Tillanchang commissioned at Karwar

INS Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, at Karwar today.

INS Tillanchang is the third ship of four follow-on WJFAC built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Kolkata. The first two ships of the class, IN ships Tarmugli and Tihayu were commissioned in 2016 and are based at Visakhapatnam. The ship has been indigenously designed and built and is an upgrade from the Chetlat class of Fast Attack Craft that the Indian Navy possesses.

Speaking on the occasion Vice Admiral Girish Luthra said that these ships play a vital role in light of security environment in the country and are designed to take on both conventional and asymmetric threats. He apprised the gathering that Tillanchang was able to achieve the fastest speeds among all WJ FACs during the speed trials.

INS Tillanchang is about 50 m long and powered by three waterjet propulsion system, which give it speeds of over 35 knots. The ship is armed with a 30 mm main gun and a number of light, medium and heavy machine guns to undertake operations at sea. It is manned by 50 personnel. Tillanchang, commanded by Commander Adit Patnaik, is an ideal platform for a number of missions like Coastal and Off-shore Surveillance, EEZ Control, Law Enforcement as well as non-military missions such as Search and Rescue, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

INS Tillanchang will be based at Karwar under the operational control of the Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area.

*****

RS/NV

jayasimha · Post by **jayasimha** » 09 Mar 2017 16:39

INS Tillanchang commissioned at Karwar

The Indian Navy Ship (INS) Tillanchang, a Water Jet Fast Attack Craft (WJFAC) was commissioned into the Indian Navy by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, on Thursday.

INS Tillanchang is the third ship of four follow-on WJFAC built by the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.

The first two ships of the class, IN ships Tarmugli and Tihayu were commissioned in 2016 and are based at Vishakhapatnam.

The ship has been indigenously designed and built and is an upgrade from the Chetlat class of Fast Attack Craft that the Indian Navy possesses.

Tillanchang is about 50 m long and powered by three water jets, which gives it speeds of over 35 knots.

The ship is armed with a 30 mm main gun and a number of light, medium and heavy machine guns to undertake operations at sea.

It is manned by 50 personnel. Tillanchang, commanded by Cdr Adit Patnaik is an ideal platform for a number of missions like Coastal and Off-shore Surveillance, EEZ Control, Law Enforcement as well as non-military missions such as Search and Rescue, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief.

INS Tillanchang will be based at Karwar under the operational control of the Flag Officer Commanding, Karnataka Naval Area.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 09 Mar 2017 22:02

The Submarine Arm of the Indian Navy
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news ... dian-navy/

By Commodore Arun Kumar

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 10 Mar 2017 00:50

^^^ DDM alert!
Photo of the INS Chakra with the headline "INS Arihant taking to the seas"

Point is, Commodore Arun Kumar must have pointed the gaffe out to DDM, but arrogant and imbecile that they are, they would not correct it.

Rakesh · Post by **Rakesh** » 10 Mar 2017 00:52

Is that Akula? I have a vague memory that I may have promised mithai or something along those lines. I can't quite remember

srin · Post by **srin** » 10 Mar 2017 01:12

Gagan wrote:^^^ DDM alert!
Photo of the INS Chakra with the headline "INS Arihant taking to the seas"

Point is, Commodore Arun Kumar must have pointed the gaffe out to DDM, but arrogant and imbecile that they are, they would not correct it.

That's not an Akula, doesn't seem to have the towed sonar bulb near the tail.

Bheeshma · Post by **Bheeshma** » 10 Mar 2017 01:15

Thats the old Chakra. Charlie class SSGN.

Gagan · Post by **Gagan** » 10 Mar 2017 01:18

Old INS Chakra of the 80s vintage onlee

Ashokk · Post by **Ashokk** » 10 Mar 2017 02:31

Sailor Slapped Officer On Naval Ship, Helicopter Used To Break Up Fight

New Delhi: Four sailors of the Indian Navy have been removed from the survey ship INS Sandhayak after some of them assaulted an officer on board, in an incident off Paradip along the Odisha coast. According to sources, the sailors were pulled up for insubordination after they failed to carry out orders to pull the survey motor boats onboard. The boats are mounted on the INS Sandhayak when they are not in use.

Asked to stand in attention, one of the sailors "deliberately slouched" in an act of defiance, sources said. This is likely to have prompted the officer to try and physically make him stand properly.

Enraged, the sailor hit him. His colleagues had joined in, beating up the officer. Security teams were called in and a helicopter was brought in to remove the sailors from the ship. They now face disciplinary action.

In a statement, the Navy said the ship "has reported an incident of insubordination involving young sailors yesterday". The word "mutiny", it said, cannot be used to describe the incident since it did not involve a rebellion by the entire crew of the ship.

"Indian armed forces are known for maintaining a very high standard of discipline... There is no scope for tolerance for such incidents," the statement read.

The INS Sandhayak has resumed operations after the incident. An indigenously built ship, Sandhayak can conduct shallow coastal and deep oceanic survey and collect oceanographic and geophysical data. The ship, commissioned in 2001 is under the Eastern Naval Command.

GhalibKabir · Post by **GhalibKabir** » 10 Mar 2017 07:58

Fellow BRFites, Why does IN want a CATOBAR straight after Vikrant? why cant' India first build another IAC 2 which will be a Vikrant replica. ( i get payload issues etc.. but the point is to have enough assets first even if it means relying on Mig 29s?)

This would ensure there 2 aircraft carriers are available. then we could move to a steam catapult CATOBAR before jumping to EMALS...thereby we have 3 carriers by 2035 with one EMALS under construction?.. the EMALS will need nuclear propulsion with at least a 4-500 MW reactor needed to launch aircraft and also run the ship. A steam catapult should be possible even with 4 LM 2500s running the ship.

what explains IN choice then?

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 10 Mar 2017 08:53

Why does an EMALS require nuclear propulsion?

Cybaru · Post by **Cybaru** » 10 Mar 2017 09:20

We discussed this before, if you search for EMALS on br. Emals needs extremely fast energy release. Flywheel or supercapacitors will do the needful. A few MW generators do the trick.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2017 12:38

Bye-bye Barak-1.B-8 is replacing it with some warships,but what the IN needsis a quick reaction SR SAM as a last-ditch way to stop incoming enemy supersonic SSMs. Apartf rom such a system,our gatlings,30mm anti=air/missile systems widely used ,should also have SR SAMs,navalised MANPADS better gum/missile systems than Kashtan/Kortik,etc.Only a layered defence system will increase our surface fleet's ability to knock down enemy missiles which are getting more sophisticated by the day.

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/ind ... stem[quote]
Indian Navy seeks to replace Israeli Barak-1 air defense system
By: Vivek Raghuvanshi, March 8, 2017 (Photo Credit: Ajit Kumar/AP)
NEW DELHI — India's Navy has launched a new program to buy short-range surface-to-air missile systems from overseas to replace its aging Israeli Barak-1 air defense systems.

India has made a global request for information to purchase 10 SRSAM systems and 600 missiles at a cost of about $1.5 billion.

Once responses are received in the next two months, the Navy will issue a tender under the Make in India policy's global purchasing category after six months to acquire the SRSAM systems. Under the program, overseas defense companies would need to forge partnerships with domestic companies to carry out 30 percent offsets obligations and include indigenous technology in the SRSAM systems.

An Indian Navy official said the proposed SRSAM system should be capable of vertically launching Mach 3-class active seeker missiles that can provide 360-degree defense coverage to meet all naval air defense applications including the need to carry out multiple simultaneous engagements.

Each SRSAM system will have a command and control system, a fire control system, a command link radar and one launcher to carry between eight and 16 missiles depending upon the size of the warship. The system's is expected to be inducted within the next five years.
[/quote]

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 10 Mar 2017 12:38

ndtv

NEW DELHI:
HIGHLIGHTS
Four sailors of Indian Navy removed from the survey ship INS Sandhayak
Asked to stand in attention, one sailor "deliberately slouched": Source
The ship "reported an incident of insubordination involving the sailors"

Four sailors of the Indian Navy have been removed from the survey ship INS Sandhayak after some of them assaulted an officer on board, in an incident off Paradip along the Odisha coast. According to sources, the sailors were pulled up for insubordination after they failed to carry out orders to pull the survey motor boats onboard. The boats are mounted on the INS Sandhayak when they are not in use.

Asked to stand in attention, one of the sailors "deliberately slouched" in an act of defiance, sources said. This is likely to have prompted the officer to try and physically make him stand properly.

Enraged, the sailor hit him. His colleagues joined in, beating up the officer. Security teams were called in and a helicopter was brought in to remove the sailors from the ship. They now face disciplinary action.

In a statement, the Navy said the ship "has reported an incident of insubordination involving young sailors yesterday". The word "mutiny", it said, cannot be used to describe the incident since it did not involve a rebellion by the entire crew of the ship.

"Indian armed forces are known for maintaining a very high standard of discipline... There is no scope for tolerance for such incidents," the statement read.

The INS Sandhayak has resumed operations after the incident. An indigenously built ship, Sandhayak can conduct shallow coastal and deep oceanic survey and collect oceanographic and geophysical data. The ship, commissioned in 2001 is under the Eastern Naval Command.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Mar 2017 15:06

Indian Navy to be without minesweepers for at least 3 years

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-new ... Ru72N.html

The Indian Navy will be without a single minesweeper till 2021 as the existing fleet of 6 vessels will be decommissioned by next year, a parliamentary panel report has revealed.

Navies use minesweepers to keep sea lanes mine-free, secure major harbours and destroy minefields near enemy shores while undertaking offensive action.

India could sign a Rs 32,640-crore deal with a South Korean shipyard for building 12 mine countermeasure vessels (MCMVs) in the country by March 31, but the first of those are likely to be delivered only in 2021. Any delay in hammering out the deal could further upset the navy’s calculations.

In its latest report tabled in Parliament, the standing committee on defence asked the government to make “sincere and concerted efforts” to equip the navy with the critical capability.

“The MCMVs are slated for de-induction by 2016-2018. 2016 has already passed and moreover, building the MCMVs will also take considerable time. The committee feels that the entire process of procurement of MCMVs will be delayed inordinately,” the report said.

The new MCMVs will be built at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) in collaboration with Busan-based Kangnam Corporation under the government’s Make in India initiative. Though the deal was supposed to be closed last year, discussions on technology transfer to India caused some delays.

All 12 vessels will be constructed in India, and are expected to have 60% indigenous content. The construction of the first vessel is expected to begin in April 2018, and deliveries likely to be completed between 2021 and 2026.

After scrapping an earlier tender to import minesweeping vessels due to alleged irregularities, the government nominated GSL in February 2015 to build minesweepers in partnership with a foreign shipyard under the Make in India programme.

Until now, the GSL has spent Rs 800 crore on scaling up infrastructure to kick off construction of the vessels.

Facilities are being created for building glass-reinforced plastic hulls, a design that reduces the ship’s magnetic signature and allows safer navigation through waters that could be mined. The minesweepers will have a displacement of 800 to 1,000 tonnes.

Mines are deployed to limit the enemy’s ability to use the sea. These underwater weapons can detonate on contact, or be activated by magnetic and acoustic signatures.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 10 Mar 2017 15:22

62 mishaps in last 10 years in Navy, onus on MoD: Panel

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/art ... 562058.cms

nam · Post by **nam** » 10 Mar 2017 15:38

Singha wrote:ndtv

NEW DELHI:
HIGHLIGHTS
Four sailors of Indian Navy removed from the survey ship INS Sandhayak
Asked to stand in attention, one sailor "deliberately slouched": Source
The ship "reported an incident of insubordination involving the sailors"

How does media even get the whip of such incidents, which are hardly newsworthy.

There needs to be crackdown on those who report such things to media. At this rate, media will dedicate what orders commanders give to subordinates.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 10 Mar 2017 17:49

The MCM issue takes the effing cake! We/the IN are busy inducting attack craft,etc.,etc.but the critical requirement of min countermeasure vessels has been left to languish.Great news for the Pakis.They can send their suns over once the vessels are trashed and lay as many mines as they want well knowing that we can do b*gger all about it. I am sure if taken to the highest table in the land,the CNS can explain the gravity of the situ to the PM,DM Only a couple of days ago I mentioned in times of crisis,how we would have to send a "pathfinder" rust bucket of a merchantman first every time we needed to act as convoy leader for the exiting and entering warships of the IN. Subs however do have mine detection sonars-or should and one sincerely hopes that our subs possess them.I am sure that we will be able to get several surplus MCM vessels from willing suppliers on lease.

Peregrine · Post by **Peregrine** » 11 Mar 2017 02:30

Reliance Defence, L&T may slug it out for Rs 20,000 crore warships contract

NEW DELHI: The defence ministry is gearing up to award a Rs 20,000 crore contract to build four amphibious warships under the Make in India programme, setting up a direct competition between Reliance Defence and L&T for bagging the order as it has decided to keep already stretched public sector shipyards out of the project.

Commercial bids submitted by the two private firms for the largest defence project under Make in India will be opened in the next three months, people familiar with the matter told ET.

The ministry has decided to place the order for all four warships with the winning private sector yard, reversing an earlier plan to construct two of them at the state-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited, which is currently flooded with orders.

The order for four landing platform docks (LPDs) – warships that transport armed troops and vehicles across the sea – has been pending since 2014, with the ministry unable to decide how to proceed with the tendering process after two of the three shipyards that had originally bid for the project went bankrupt.

Private shipyards ABG Shipyard Ltd and Pipavav were in the fray for the contract along with L&T but the acquisition process came to a standstill as the yards ran into financial difficulties.

A capacity assessment report carried out by the defence ministry in 2015 had disqualified ABG Shipyard from the process after inspections revealed that the yard was not equipped to handle the large order.

Pipavav, which was taken over by Reliance Defence in 2015, went through at least two sets of assessments, with the ministry finally concluding in late 2016 that it was qualified technically and financially to execute the contract.

The next step will be the opening of commercial bids submitted by L&T and Reliance Defence, and the winner will be decided on the basis of the lowest price offered. While L&T had tied up with Spain’s Navantia for the contract, Reliance Defence has an agreement with French shipbuilder DCNS.

A modern LPD will be a significant addition to India’s offensive marine capability, with the vessels designed to carry tanks, infantry combat vehicles, trucks as well as choppers and fully equipped soldiers across the world.

Cheers

JTull · Post by **JTull** » 11 Mar 2017 15:01

Instead of 2 public + 2 private now we've Reliance and L&T competing for all four. Why not just select between DCNS and Navantia, and give Reliance/L&T two each? You'll have both the shipyards maturing into large-ship building yards and you can get deliveries of 4 in the time frame of 2.

abhik · Post by **abhik** » 11 Mar 2017 20:06

So lowest bidder with likely less capable system wins? There needs to be a better way to down select.