In February 2011 Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Navy Admiral Nirmal Verma announced that this year India will invite a tender for the construction of six non-nuclear submarines.

Rosoboronexport, the exclusive Russian state intermediary company for export and import of the whole range of military and dual-purpose products, technologies and services, intends to participate in this contest.

Russia has been India’s key arms supplier and a strategic partner for a long time. The total amount of Russia’s military sales to India for more than 40 years has exceeded 35 billion USD. Russia has won 75 percent of all finalised Indian tenders for the delivery of weapons and military equipment.

The programme for military technical cooperation between the two countries in the period up to 2010 is completed now. Its biggest goals were the construction of three Project 11356 frigates, delivery to the Indian Air force of the Mi-17V-5 military transport helicopters, licence production of the Su-30MKI multi-role aircraft and T-90S main battle tanks, upgrading of the Il-38 aircraft. Russian enterprises are implementing Indian orders for the delivery of the MiG-29k/MiG-29kUB shipborne fighters and Ka-31 radar picket helicopters.

The Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (former Admiral gorshkov heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser) is going through repair and upgrading works, and three more Project 11356 frigates are being built for the Indian Navy under the new programme for military technical cooperation in the period up to 2020.

Considering India as a strategic partner in the field of military technical cooperation, Rosoboronexport has been constantly raising the level of confidence, and is ready to transfer the most advanced technologies to help consolidate and develop its national defence industrial complex. The most vivid examples of this approach are joint development programmes for the fifth generation fighter aircraft and MTA medium military transport aircraft. No other country can offer such degree of openness.

The two countries have entered a new phase of market relations characterised by intense competition. The world’s leading weapons manufacturers show interest in the Indian market. The United States, Israel, great Britain and france are willing to increase their arms sales to India. At the same time India is implementing its weapons upgrading programme trying to diversify sources of its military imports. This concerns the Indian Navy’s underwater fleet in particular. for example, the Mazagon Docks limited company (MDl) is building six french Scorpene-class submarines at its shipyard in Mumbai under the 2005 contract within the Project 75 programme framework. The first submarine was planned for commissioning in 2012 while the others were supposed to enter into service at one-year intervals. however, Indian Defence Minister A.k. Antony informed deputies of the Upper house of the Indian Parliament that the first nonnuclear submarine would be delivered only in the second half of 2015.

Trying to prevent weakening of the Indian Navy because of this delay and planned decommissioning of submarines having served their time, the Indian government approved implementation of the next phase of the Project 75 programme coded Project 75 (I). This is exactly why the tender is to be announced.

Besides Rosoboronexport, other major world submarine manufacturers such as DCNS (France), Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (Germany) and Navantia (Spain) are expected to bid for this big contract. Two of six non-nuclear submarines are planned to be supplied by a foreign company which will win the tender, or built at one of the Indian privately-owned shipyards. Another three shall be built at the state-owned yard of the Mazagon Docks ltd in Mumbai, and one more at the Hindustan Shipyard ltd in Visakhapatnam with the assistance of a foreign contractor.

The non-nuclear submarines will be built with the application of advanced technologies. These technologies are supposed to make the submarines more covert, to help them detect enemy targets at greater ranges, and enable launching torpedoes and missiles against land-based and abovewater targets. one of the tender conditions stipulates equipping the submarine with an air-independent propulsion unit.

Rosoboronexport fulfils these requirements and bids with the Amur-1650 advanced fourth-generation submarine designed by the Rubin Marine Design Bureau. The lead ship of this project, the Saint-Petersburg diesel electric submarine, has just successfully passed state acceptance tests and is commissioned by the Russian Navy. Thanks to this fact, potential buyers from Thailand, India, Peru, China and other large sea powers have expressed their interest in the Amur-1650 submarine, an export version of this project.