The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has reportedly disqualified the joint bid by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and Spanish firm Navantia for the Indian Navy’s Project 75I (P75I) submarine programme. The bid was reportedly rejected due to non-compliance with technical criteria, leaving the partnership between state-run Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd. (MDL) and German firm ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as the only contender for the mega Rs 70,000 crore deal.
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) is expected to soon make a decision on the final vendor for this critical programme. Project 75I is aimed at modernizing India’s submarine fleet with advanced capabilities, including the integration of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) technology to enhance stealth and operational endurance.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, MDL confirmed in a regulatory filing that its commercial bid for the P75I project is under active review by the MoD. “MDL confirms that the Ministry of Defence has opened the commercial bid submitted by MDL for further processing,” the company stated. The MDL disclosed that negotiations for the P75 (Additional Submarine) project, involving the acquisition of three more submarines, are also under process.
The Mazagaon Dockyards recently delivered the last submarine, INS Vagsheer, of the six built under Project 75 Scorpene class for the Indian Navy. Additionally, they are set to receive orders for three more submarines under Project 75 (Additional Submarine), which will be constructed with the support of the French Naval Group.
The selection process has been closely scrutinized, with sources indicating that a technical oversight committee evaluated all bids and found the MDL-TKMS submission compliant with the necessary criteria. The L&T-Navantia bid, however, reportedly fell short, primarily due to concerns related to the Air Independent Propulsion system.
Valued at Rs 70,000 crore—far exceeding the initial Rs 43,000 crore budget benchmark set under the Defence Ministry’s Acceptance of Necessity (AON)—the P75I project will require TKMS to design a submarine tailored to Indian Navy requirements.
The first submarine under the P75I programme is expected to be delivered within seven years of signing the contract. If finalized soon, this timeline suggests delivery could begin as early as 2032. Sources further revealed that the Indian Navy submitted its field evaluation trial (FET) report to the MoD late last year, which confirmed that the TKMS submarine met all technical requirements.
Team BharatShakti
