L&T’S HOME-GROWN TECHNOLOGY AIMS TO RAISE STEALTH SUBMARINE CAPABILITY: JAYANT PATIL

[lcafanboy]

L&T’S HOME-GROWN TECHNOLOGY AIMS TO RAISE STEALTH SUBMARINE CAPABILITY: JAYANT PATIL
SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2017 BY INDIANDEFENSE NEWS

by Amrita Nair-Ghaswalla

The Indian Navy intends to acquire the next set of conventionally powered six diesel-electric submarines under Project-75I, a follow-on of Project 75 Kalvari-class submarines. Larsen and Toubro (L&T) and another private shipyard Reliance Defence turned out trumps, beating three public sector shipyards to become eligible to participate in the P-75I programme. Business Line caught up with Jayant Patil, Head of Defence and Aerospace, and Member of Shipbuilding and Heavy Engineering Board at L&T, to understand how the Indian shipyard is set to take the lead in responding to the tender, effectively ending the 70-year public sector monopoly. Patil also enumerated on the company's quest for greater submerged endurance with the crucial Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system, a home-grown technology and an enormous challenge for Indian companies, which is aimed at increasing endurance and stealth capability of the submarine. Excerpts:

Has the request for proposal (RFP) been announced as yet? Can you explain the process?

No, we await receipt of the RFP for P75I. Having approved the Strategic Partner (SP) policy, the defence ministry (MoD) will first issue an expression of interest (EoI) to probable companies and evaluate eligible private sector Indian yards for construction of the P75I submarines. This will be done by a MoD-appointed specialist committee that will short-list yards that meet the Strategic Partnership criterion, leading to selection of Potential SP. Concurrently, the MoD willl evaluate foreign OEMs through a EoI process and short-list those complying with the requirements of P75I.

Could you give us an idea about L&T's capabilities in stealth submarines.

Larsen & Toubro has been associated with India’s strategic submarine programme for decades. It was formally announced when INS Arihant was launched in 2009. Our work centres specialise in the construction of submarine hulls with an entire range of in-house developed capabilities that are key to the submarine construction value chain - from detailed design and engineering in digital domain to hull construction using IT-enabled automation.

We have also developed technologies and matured them to do 3D-assisted outfitting, system integration, to system level qualification tests and trials as proven on classified underwater programmes. These have been developed indigenously given the nature of the programmes and the National endeavour we have been associated with.

How is the company placed with regard to other Indian competitors in facilitating the P75I contract?

L&T is the only shipyard in India which has a track record in the construction and integration of the most critical and complex bow, aft and other pressure tight structures, which needs to be imported by other yards. Our indigenous knowledge and technologies are amply proven across underwater programs.

L&T is also the System Integrator for DRDO’s Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system programme. L&T also has a track record in the development of significant platform specific systems such as propulsion systems, engineering systems, control systems and weapon systems for Naval underwater programs. These capabilities places L&T in a unique position.

Does the company have the wherewithal to undertake and help with the AIP-related technology for the submarines, which is a major prerequisite of this tender?

L&T is currently partnering with the DRDO as Lead System Integrator for the indigenous development of the fuel cell based AIP system. This is engineered as a modular package that can be plugged into a platform of choice. This technological solution holds promise to be among the latest and safest evolution in propulsion technology for conventional submarines for enhanced indiscretion rates.

(The indiscretion rate refers to the percentage of time a submarine spends when it comes up for air, which also makes it the time when it is the most vulnerable)

It enhances the endurance of conventional diesel-electric submarines to remain underwater many-folds, thus converting it into a more potent weapon platform with higher indiscretion rate.

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[lcafanboy]

Is he hinting that L&T is capable of building completely INDIAN submarine for P75I program? If so, then it's a HUGE development. Just Imagine a completely INDIAN submarine without any collaboration, with completely INDIAN AIP.

GOOD BYE DCNS & SCORPENES.

 

[Mikesingh]

Nothing is 100% indigenous! Even US subs have many foreign sub contractors. Why re-invent the wheel when tried and tested modules and equipment is available off the shelf from foreign companies?

For example, Cambridge Pixel, a British company is a specialist provider of radar processing and display components for naval command and control and navigation systems widely used not only by the US Navy but by many of the world's navies and system integrators, for the display of radar information from a wide range of sensor types, including navigation and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars etc.

Though L&T/Reliance Defence would build and assemble the subs in India they won't be 100% indigenous.

 

[lcafanboy]

L&T has capacity to build 6 Submarines simultaneously. HUGE!!!

They have the necessary know how.

The Cochin Shipyards and Mazgaon Docks chap Reservation-Chaap PiSU Union was up in arms over this particular aspect as they did not want the L&T to be allowed to build subs at their sites, as it would have delivered Submarines sooner and these useless parasites would have gone jobless.

WE are being TAXED heavily to PAY these useless RESERVATION-CHAAPS.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Give them the orders ..

================================

 

[m-jeri]

Give them the orders ..

================================

Thats what you and me want, but GOI does not have the funds to commit to this. Simple as that.

 

[Filtercoffee]

L&T has capacity to build 6 Submarines simultaneously. HUGE!!!

They have the necessary know how.

The Cochin Shipyards and Mazgaon Docks chap Reservation-Chaap PiSU Union was up in arms over this particular aspect as they did not want the L&T to be allowed to build subs at their sites, as it would have delivered Submarines sooner and these useless parasites would have gone jobless.

WE are being TAXED heavily to PAY these useless RESERVATION-CHAAPS.

These useless parasites are of Indian origin and not from a brain draining axis oriented country. Hint hint.

 

[SanjeevM]

Will the contract go to L&T and Reliance equally or either of the two?

 

[sayareakd]

Lets wait and see. May be GOI want them to work exclusively in SSBN and SSN subs.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Lets wait and see. May be GOI want them to work exclusively in SSBN and SSN subs.

How ISRO works can be a model for public sectors as well as private sector. I listen to an Amazing speech by isro scientist about how various rockets were developed. They designed about 170 sub systems for rockets. On putting them on test, except 1 met all the design parameters in first test itself. This was amazing. We need to replicate this model in all of our defense R & D and manufacturing sectors of high technology.

 

[Screambowl]

Thats what you and me want, but GOI does not have the funds to commit to this. Simple as that.

why to depend on govt to subsidise everything?

 

[Screambowl]

This was amazing. We need to replicate this model in all of our defense R & D and manufacturing sectors of high technology.

Outsource the work to Universities where students can work on it. It is easily manageable. Plus students will get experience and some pocket money.

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Outsource the work to Universities where students can work on it. It is easily manageable. Plus students will get experience and some pocket money.

We need to rank the work as per the knowledge and technicalities involved in the work. Low tech work can be outsourced to universities. If any collage or university perform well, they can get higher rank of project.

 

[Screambowl]

We need to rank the work as per the knowledge and technicalities involved in the work. Low tech work can be outsourced to universities. If any collage or university perform well, they can get higher rank of project.

Yes but our policy makers don't have this common sense. yeh BC bahar ghumney apney mazey k liye atey hai.

Higher level work is basically given to professors when company fails to design it. Then it comes into Universities and other institutes. Like Indian statistical institute and IISc and IIT. But the problem is there is no centralized institute which hires only students. I have done many such projects related to power grid and other areas which deals with power distribution, free of cost and this cannot be counted as actual work experience which is loss for students. Lack of a proper institute is causing the trouble. If that comes into play, this will tremendously boost the industrial capability.

 

[Yggdrasil]

How ISRO works can be a model for public sectors as well as private sector. I listen to an Amazing speech by isro scientist about how various rockets were developed. They designed about 170 sub systems for rockets. On putting them on test, except 1 met all the design parameters in first test itself. This was amazing. We need to replicate this model in all of our defense R & D and manufacturing sectors of high technology.

What is the ESSENTIAL difference between ISRO and DRDO etc?

ISRO did not directly compete with any foreign organization to do what it does. India either had a space program via ISRO or didn't at all.

ISRO didn't commercialise its space activities until the past few years, and now it's too late for foreign agencies to stop them.

Our politicians and babus are of course completely useless, but you can draw your own conclusions as to why ISRO has been successful and the others have not based on the fact that ISRO's indigenous rise was not a threat to any foreign corporate entity (until now, that is).

 

[sayareakd]

What is the ESSENTIAL difference between ISRO and DRDO etc?

ISRO did not directly compete with any foreign organization to do what it does. India either had a space program via ISRO or didn't at all.

ISRO didn't commercialise its space activities until the past few years, and now it's too late for foreign agencies to stop them.

Our politicians and babus are of course completely useless, but you can draw your own conclusions as to why ISRO has been successful and the others have not based on the fact that ISRO's indigenous rise was not a threat to any foreign corporate entity (until now, that is).

I may also add that DRDO has vast area to cover, which is higly competitive and in India deep pockets can get done lot of things. Government organisations and companies cannot compete with black money.