New Delhi: Spanish state-owned shipbuilding company Navantia is planning to bid for Indian Navy’s contract to build four amphibious transport vessels. This will add to Navantia’s other bid to develop six submarines–that’s considered to be “India‘s largest defence acquisition project.”
According to José Porto, managing director of Navantia India, the company will bid for the four landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious vessels along with Larsen and Toubro as part of its efforts to strengthen its presence in the Indian defence market.
In an interview, Porto said that Navantia has been working on the project since 2008, which had been cancelled twice in the past. The Indian Navy had released a Request For Information for the contract in 2021. Navantia expects the Navy to submit a request for proposal for the project next year.
In 2018, the Navantia-built Juan Carlos I, in service of the Spanish Navy, visited Mumbai as the company sought to display the vessel’s military capabilities. LPD vessels can be used to transport military assets, supplies, and manpower for warfare, as well as for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Jose Porto further said that the company’s LPD vessels are also in the service of the Australian Navy. Additionally, Navantia will also be looking for Indian partners to build wind turbine and renewable energy projects in foreign markets. “We are looking for partners in India to work with us for programs and projects not only in India but also in other countries in Europe and America,” said Porto.
Elaborating on the company’s other ambitions in India, Porto said Navantia was confident in its bid to build six submarines for the Indian Navy under the P75 (I) program. For that, too, Navantia has signed a teaming agreement with Larsen and Toubro.
In a statement announcing its agreement with Larsen and Toubro earlier this year, Navantia said “Expected to be valued at over Euro 4.8 billion, the project is India‘s largest defence acquisition project. This would also be followed by a 30-year lifecycle sustenance contract of similar value.”
While equipping the Navy with submarines having air independent propulsion technology, which gives submarines greater endurance, the P75 (I) project aims to build up India’s indigenous defence production capabilities. Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) has also expressed interest in bidding for the submarine contract.
For P-75(I) project, Navantia is expected to use the design of its S80 submarine class. Earlier, in an interview with a media outlet, Spanish Ambassador to India, Jose Maria Ridao Dominguez, mentioned that Navantia possessed the latest propulsion technology, making the company’s bid for the Indian Navy’s contract competitive.
