The competition for supplying Air Independent Propulsion-equipped submarines to the Indian Navy has intensified as Spanish Navantia has installed the Hydrogen-based AIP into an S-80 class submarine. So far, the German Thyssenkrupp, the other shipbuilder in the fray, claimed to have the only proven AIP system in competition.
The Indian Navy has completed a field trial for supplying six submarines under its Project-75 I (I Stands for India). These submarines will have AIP technology combined with Lithium-ion batteries, allowing them to lurk in the ocean depths for a longer duration and, when required, race to their target at high speeds without giving up their position.
While the TKMS system was evaluated on board a German Navy submarine, the Navantia’s AIP was tested using land and onboard systems.
While the Navantia system has undergone 50,000 hours of testing and has been selected by the Spanish Navy, it is considered unproven compared to the TKMS fuel cell-based AIP combined with a Lithium-Ion battery.
Hence, installing the hydrogen-based Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP) into an S80 class submarine is considered a major milestone that can make the competition for P-75I even trickier. This is the first third-generation AIP fitted into a submarine.
Calling it an important milestone in Spanish shipbuilding history, Navantia underscored that it can offer unique capabilities in international submarine construction tenders.
The Spanish AIP System is christened BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology) by Navantia. It is an innovative energy production plant based on a bioethanol reforming process – a renewable fuel obtained from organic feedstock – to produce a Hydrogen-rich stream that is fed, together with pure Oxygen, to a fuel cell to generate electrical power stealthily.
Alluding to the German AIP system, Navantia has claimed that its AIP is a third-generation system that does not require stored hydrogen on board; instead, the system generates it on demand, providing a tactical and safety advantage, increasing the strategic autonomy and deterrence capability. “Along with the extensive sensorization of the vessel, it further enhances the safety of the crew and the submarine itself, minimizing the personnel required to operate it,” the company has claimed in a statement.
This evolution allows Spanish submarines to have more onboard energy. It enables them to sail underwater for up to three weeks with signatures comparable to pure electric navigation with batteries.
The Isaac Peral (S80 series) is one of the largest non-nuclear submarines in the world, and the AIP BEST technology will make it even more deadly.
The company has allowed Indian media to visit Section 3 of the S-83 Cosme García submarine, which houses the installed AIP equipment, liquid oxygen, and bioethanol tanks, and the auxiliary systems necessary for its operation, observing the demanding work and safety procedures being carried out in the construction of the submarine.
Navantia has been struggling with its submarines running 10 years behind schedule. It has zero export experience, zero ToT (Transfer of Technology) experience, and it has partnered with an Indian shipyard with zero submarine-building experience. A veteran told the EurAsian Times: “I hope the Indian MoD (Ministry of Defense) and the Indian Navy does not shoot itself in the foot.”
In comparison, TkMS has built over 170 submarines in the last 75 years and has proven models of Transfer of Technology (ToT) cooperation with numerous customers like South Korea, Turkey, Italy, Israel, and Singapore and two decades of AIP operations on board submarines presently being operated by Germany, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Singapore, South Korea, Portugal, Italy, etc. Its submarines are in the Indian Navy (Shishumar class) as well. Three of them were constructed indigenously with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) (Shalki class).
Indian Navy Needs AIP Submarines As Of Yesterday
The Indian Navy does not have a single submarine with Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), a technology that helps conventional submarines to lurk under the surface of water for a longer duration. Project-75I was outlined in 1998 under the 30-year modernization plan, which ends in 2030.
An AIP-based submarine is cheaper than a nuclear-powered submarine. Non-nuclear submarines are also less expensive to maintain and manage. Fuel cell systems are modular and can be replaced quickly and easily, and these submarines have crews of 25–35 people.
The Indian Navy needs to modernize its submarine fleet urgently. Its primary adversary, China, is taking giant strides to modernize its fleet, and a cash-strapped Pakistan, despite its flailing economy, has been modernizing its submarine arm.
As the Chinese naval presence increases in the Indian Ocean, submarines with AIP can monitor them much better without getting detected.
This technology will be particularly relevant in the eastern Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. In the Arabian Sea and the western Indian Ocean, it will enhance our undersea warfare capability against Pakistan.
The Indian Navy’s adoption of AIP technology will put its fleet in a better position than Pakistan’s. All three of its French Agosta-90B (PNS Khalid, Saad, and Hamza) are powered by AIPs. Pakistan is also expected to receive eight 39 A Yuan-class AIP-powered submarines under a US$5 billion deal with China. It received the first of the eight submarines of this class in April this year.
The Indian Navy is outmatched by the Chinese Navy 4:1 when it comes to submarines. On March 25, the Indian Navy released stunning photographs of a pod of its submarines on the western seaboard. The eight submarines operated together in a recently concluded exercise in the Arabian Sea. The Indian Navy is still woefully short of the 76 platforms of China’s submarine force comprising 8 SSBNs (ballistic missile submarines), 13 SSNs (nuclear-powered attack submarines), and 55 SSKs (diesel-electric submarines).
Before this, former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Hari Kumar revealed that the Indian Navy had simultaneously deployed 11 conventional submarines for operations in different parts of the IOR.
This is the highest number of operational submarines for the Indian Navy in the last two decades. The submarine arm has been facing dwindling strength, accidents, and write-offs. As against the required 24 conventional submarines, the Indian submarine fleet has only 16 submarines. Apart from the six recently built submarines, the rest are over 30 years old and approaching their decommissioning date.
By next year, the Indian Navy will have 17 conventional submarines in its fleet. However, the older Kilo-class submarine’s availability ratio is low.
