Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Germany to pursue $5.2 bln submarine deal with India during Scholz trip

Germany to pursue $5.2 bln submarine deal with India during Scholz trip

GERMANY will pursue a $5.2 billion (£4.26 bn) deal with India to jointly build six conventional submarines in the country during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s February 25-26 visit, two Indian and two German sources said.

The naval project is the latest attempt by a Western military manufacturing power to wean New Delhi away from its dependance on Russia for military hardware.

India is desperate to replace its ageing submarine fleet, with 11 of its 16 conventional submarines more than two decades old, and as it seeks to counter China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean.

The Indian Navy also has two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government wants India to manufacture more weapons at home in collaboration with foreign partners after decades of being one of the world's largest arms importers.

The submarine project, for which Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of two international bidders, will be discussed between the two countries during Scholz’s trip and Berlin would support the deal, one source said.

Under the deal, a foreign manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in India.

The foreign company will also need to transfer a niche technology for fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), a clause that has been a sore point for most foreign firms.

France’s Naval Group had pulled out of the project just ahead of Modi’s visit to Paris in May 2022, citing its inability to meet conditions listed by the Indian government in 2021.

Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Spain’s Navantia Group are also not in the fray any more, said a source in India's defence ministry who did not want to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media.

That leaves German TKMS, which just signed a contract for jointly building six submarines with Norway, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd of South Korea in contention.

The Indian foreign and defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment. The German government and TKMS declined to comment.

An Indian diplomatic source said New Delhi has asked Germany for an assurance for joint manufacturing for the submarines, not just supply-side support.

Another official from the Indian foreign ministry said that “Scholz was determined to reinvigorate trade and defence ties with India”.

Such a deal would probably find the support of the German government, people in government in Berlin said. Although there is no formal decision, the coalition government has relaxed the arms export policy for India and in the beginning of February allowed the export of a package of military equipment.

"We would like to continue doing so," said a German government official. "India is for a good part dependent on Russian arms. It cannot be in our interest that this remains the case."

(Reuters)

More For You

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'

Keir Starmer speaks with medical staff during a visit to the Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom Hospital in Epsom, England. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

'Hundreds of million pounds can be saved by abolishing NHS'


HUNDREDS of millions of pounds could be saved and patient waiting lists reduced as prime minister Keir Starmer announced plans to abolish NHS England, the body overseeing the state-funded health system.

In a speech delivered in Hull, Starmer explained his decision to streamline the National Health Service's management structure: "I can't, in all honesty, explain to the British people why they should spend their money on two layers of bureaucracy."

Keep ReadingShow less
Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

The lunar eclipse of Friday may not have been as dramatic as the total eclipses seen in other parts of the world

iStock

Early risers in the UK witness stunning Blood Moon eclipse

In the early hours of Friday morning, stargazers across the UK were treated to a partial lunar eclipse, with many enthusiasts rising before dawn to catch a glimpse. The celestial event, which saw the Earth's shadow partially covering the Moon, began at 05:09 GMT. Although only partial for most UK observers, it still presented a spectacular sight, with western parts of the country and regions further afield, such as the Americas and some Pacific islands, witnessing the eclipse.

For some, like Kathleen Maitland, the experience was magical. Stargazing from Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, she described the beauty of watching the Moon gradually darken and transform into a reddish hue, with the sunrise unfolding behind her. The eclipse gave rise to the so-called "blood Moon," a phenomenon that occurs when the Moon moves into the Earth’s shadow, turning a dusky red as sunlight is refracted through the Earth's atmosphere.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

From L- Reetu Kabra, Maya Sondhi, Shobu Kapoor and Meera Syal during Sangam Foundation's Women's Day celebrations.

Sangam Foundation celebrates Women's Day

HUNDREDS of women gathered for the International Women's Day celebrations of Sangam Foundation last week. Prominent actresses Meera Syal, Shobhu Kapoor and Maya Sondhi have attended the event, a statement said.

The British Asian celebrities shared their experiences of breaking into an industry rife with misogyny and prejudice. The industry veterans also talked about challenges they faced in a male-dominated field.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal
Democrats with £23,000

Sudhir Choudhrie

Asian tycoon Sudhir Choudhrie  backs Liberal Democrats with £23,000

BUSINESSMAN Sudhir Choudhrie has emerged as one of the biggest British Asian donors to the Liberal Democrats in the last quarter of 2024, according to the latest data from the Electoral Commission.

Choudhrie, currently an advisor on India to the leader of the Liberal Democrats, contributed on six different occasions to the party between October and December 2024, totalling more than £23,000. He contributed in a similar fashion in the previous quarter as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak is ‘content in his MP role
and has no desire to move to US’

(From left) Rishi Sunak with wife Akshata Murty, and parents Usha and Yashvir Sunak

Sunak is ‘content in his MP role and has no desire to move to US’

RISHI SUNAK “loves being an MP” and has no intention of flying to California to begin a new life in America, as his enemies alleged during the general election campaign last year.

And, unlike Boris Johnson, he is not striving to be prime minister again, even though he is still only 44.

Keep ReadingShow less