By N. C. Bipindra

New Delhi: Germany’s Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has projected a seven-year timeline from contract signing to delivery of the first Project 75(I) submarine, with all six advanced conventional submarines for the Indian Navy expected to enter service over the next decade, according to TKMS India.

In an exclusive for Defence Capital, TKMS said the timeline is realistic if the long-pending P75(I) contract is finalised as expected and technical requirements are frozen early.

The remaining five submarines would follow in a “steady rhythm,” drawing on a proven German design adapted to Indian Navy requirements and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited’s (MDL) experience from Project 75 (Scorpene).

Project 75(I), estimated to be among India’s most expensive defence acquisition programmes, aims to build six next-generation conventional submarines in India, equipped with advanced Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), modern sensors, and weapons, while achieving deep technology transfer and indigenisation.

Risks and Critical Dependencies

The company cautioned that timelines in a programme of this scale depend on several interlinked factors.

These include speed of contract finalisation, timely freezing of technical requirements, readiness of Indian vendors, and the integration and certification of complex systems such as AIP, combat systems, and weapons.

Infrastructure and workforce preparedness at MDL and partner facilities will also be decisive.

“These risks are addressed jointly with MDL and the authorities so that they are managed early and transparently,” it said.

Supply Chain and Quality Standards

Positioning India as more than just a customer, TKMS described it as a long-term industrial partner for TKMS.

With MDL as the prime contractor, the submarines will be built using an existing Indian supply chain that will be further expanded and upgraded.

TKMS plans to apply German and European quality and safety standards to Indian production, while progressively certifying Indian vendors to integrate them into its global supply chain.

This, it said, would allow Indian companies to benefit not only from P75(I) but also from future international submarine programmes.

Indigenisation and Technology Transfer

The submarine-maker emphasised that P75(I) has been conceived from the outset as an Indian submarine programme. All six boats will be constructed at MDL, with TKMS acting as technology provider.

While indigenisation at the platform level will be substantial from the early stages, localisation of more complex systems will grow incrementally from boat to boat.

By the later submarines in the series, a “clear majority of value” is expected to be generated in India, in line with Ministry of Defence requirements.

On technology transfer, TKMS said it goes well beyond manufacturing drawings.

“TKMS will transfer critical know-how for design, construction, and maintenance to MDL,” enabling India to build, integrate, and eventually upgrade the submarines domestically.

While intellectual property will be protected under international norms, the intent is that India owns and controls the design of its P75(I) boats.

India as a Submarine Hub

Looking ahead, TKMS sees India emerging as a global centre for submarine technology and manufacturing over the next three to five years.

The company’s strategy rests on three pillars: delivering P75(I) for the Indian Navy, deepening India’s naval industrial base, and positioning India for regional sustainment and potential exports to friendly navies, subject to government approvals.

Long-term sustainment, mid-life upgrades, and modernisation will be a major revenue stream over the submarines’ lifecycle, but TKMS also sees scope for India to participate in global submarine programmes within its wider footprint.

Investments, Jobs, and Sustainability

While TKMS declined to disclose specific investment figures, it confirmed a phased investment plan, starting with engineering, design support, and training, followed by industrial facilities and supplier development, and later expanding into long-term support and export-related capacity.

Each phase will be tied to milestones such as contract signature, design freeze, and start of construction.

The programme is expected to generate significant skilled and semi-skilled employment, leveraging MDL’s existing ecosystem in Mumbai and across India.

TKMS also plans to align the India programme with digitalisation, Industry 4.0 practices, predictive maintenance, and sustainability goals, reducing lifecycle costs and environmental footprint while ensuring India does not need to send submarines abroad for major refits.

With timelines now publicly articulated, the spotlight returns to the long-awaited P75(I) contract, seen as critical to arresting the Indian Navy’s declining conventional submarine numbers and building a truly self-reliant undersea warfare capability.

Contract Targeted by FY26

In October 2025, top Indian Ministry of Defence officials had told Defence Capital in this exclusive report that they were targeting the signing of the estimated INR 70,000 crore (USD 8.55 billion) P75(I) submarines contract by March 2026.

Indian Navy chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi confirmed the Defence Capital report in his annual press conference on December 2, 2025.

Admiral Tripathi said the Indian Navy aims to first sign the P75(I) contract by the end of this fiscal year, ending March 2026, before it would consider a follow-on order for three more Scorpene submarines under P75, again to be built by MDL.

NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Arattai.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on Telegram.
NOTE: Follow Defence.Capital on WhatsApp.