The first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, put to sea in 1955. Work on nuclear marine propulsion started in the 1940s, and the first test reactor started up in USA in 1953. So far, exaggerated fears about safety have caused political restriction on port access. In future, constraints on fossil fuel use in transport may bring marine nuclear propulsion into more widespread use.Most are submarines, but they range from icebreakers to aircraft carriers.Over 160 ships are powered by more than 200 small nuclear reactors.Nuclear power is particularly suitable for vessels which need to be at sea for long periods without refuelling, or for powerful submarine propulsion.It cannot be in our interest that this remains the case. "India is for a good part dependent on Russian arms. "We would like to continue doing so," said a German government official. Although there is no formal decision, the coalition government has relaxed the arms export policy for India and in the beginning of February allowed the export of a package of military equipment. Such a deal would probably find the support of the German government, people in government in Berlin said. The German government and TKMS declined to comment.Īn Indian diplomatic source told Reuters that India has asked Germany for an assurance for joint manufacturing for the submarines, not just supply-side support.Īnother official from the Indian foreign ministry said that “Scholz was determined to reinvigorate trade and defence ties with India”. The Indian foreign and defence ministries did not respond to requests for comment. That leaves German TKMS, which just signed a contract for jointly building six submarines with Norway, and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co Ltd (042660.KS) of South Korea in contention. Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Spain’s Navantia Group are also not in the fray anymore, said a source in India's defence ministry who did not want to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. The foreign company will also need to transfer a niche technology for fuel-cell based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), a clause that has been a sore point for most foreign firms.įrance’s Naval Group had pulled out of the project just ahead of Modi’s visit to Paris in May 2022, citing its inability to meet conditions listed by the Indian government in 2021. Under the deal, a foreign submarine manufacturer will have to partner with an Indian company to build the submarines in India. Marine Systems (TKMS) is one of two international bidders, will be discussed between the two countries during Scholz’s trip and Berlin would support the deal, one source said. The submarine project, for which Germany’s ThyssenKrupp (TKAG.DE) Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government wants India to manufacture more weapons at home in collaboration with foreign partners after decades of being one of the world's largest arms importers. The Indian Navy also has two indigenous nuclear-powered submarines. India is desperate to replace its ageing submarine fleet, with 11 of its 16 conventional submarines more than two decades old, and as it seeks to counter China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean. The naval project is the latest attempt by a Western military manufacturing power to wean New Delhi away from its dependance on Russia for military hardware. 25-26 visit, two Indian and two German sources said. NEW DELHI/BERLIN, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Germany will pursue a $5.2 billion deal with India to jointly build six conventional submarines in the country during Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Feb.
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