AUKUS highlights India’s own submarine development efforts and delays

Unlike Australia, given its geography and operational requirements, India needs both conventional and nuclear-powered submarines: official

Australia’s announcement to acquire nuclear-powered submarines under the tripartite arrangement with the U.K. and the U.S. () puts the spotlight on India’s own submarine efforts, ongoing tender for with technology transfer under Project-75I and the indigenous programme to build six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN).

“Unlike Australia, given our geography and operational requirements, India needs both conventional and nuclear-powered submarines,” an official noted.

However, both the conventional and nuclear-powered projects were delayed and the first vessel was at least a decade away while the Navy faced an urgent need to modernise its ageing submarine fleet, especially in the backdrop of increasing forays by the , two officials said.