India wants to indigenously build four
specialised amphibious assault ships, also called Landing Platform Docks (LPD)
, which will be the biggest-ever made in the country other than the
under-construction 40,000-tonne sea-borne aircraft carrier INS Vikrant. With
such plans in mind Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar went on a three-day visit
to South Korea. South Korea is the world biggest ship maker and
a possible partner in the project.
Each LPD carries, in its huge lower deck,
hundreds of troops with tanks, vehicles and cargo. Such a ship can deliver men
and equipment near a sea beach and does not need a berthing dock, hence
providing the option for landing thousands of troops near a spot chosen to
attack.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) had re-issued
a request for proposal (RFP) to Indian private sector shipyards in September
last year. Each of these will approximately cost Rs 6,000 crore and are
expected to be delivered over the next 10 years. Each of these ships will be
between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes. Indian shipyards have been asked to locate
their own foreign collaborator. The RFP was sent to ABG, Larsen & Toubro
(L&T), and Pipavav Defence and Offshore Engineering, the last one being
recently purchased by Anil Ambani.
Foreign shipbuilders offering such ships
include DCNS of France, Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems, Fincantieri of
Italy, South Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries & Constructions Co and
Navantia of Spain.
The successful private shipyard and its
foreign collaborator will be given the order for two such ships and the two
others will be made by the MoD-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited, Visakhapatnam,
at the same price being paid to the private builder.
India has sought a vessel of 213m with
endurance at sea for 45 days. The vessel must be able to house combat vehicles
(including main battle tanks, infantry combat vehicles and heavy trucks on one or
more vehicle deck) and the vessel should be able to undertake all-weather
operations involving heavy lift helicopters up to 35 tonnes.
Parrikar said on 13 April, “Talks will
include wide-ranging subjects including collaborations in defence products”. Capabilities
of that country are known, he said. South Korea makes some 30 per cent of all
ships worldwide. Parrikar clearly said that a government-to-government deal is
the best in case of certain defence technologies.
In Korea, Parrikar met his South Korean
counterpart Gen Han Min-Koo here and discussed ways to expand defence ties.
Parrikar also met senior South Korean defence officlals, including National
Security Advisor Kim Kwan-jin, chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and
minister of defence acquisition progremme administration.
The two countries agreed to intensify
efforts to develop mutually-beneficial partnerships in defence production. A
statement said the two defence ministers "focused on ways to expand
contact" between the their defence establishments and building deep
partnerships between their defence industries.
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| Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar paying homage at the National Cemetery, at Daejeon, in South Korea |
Exploring Joint Ventures with Thailand
India is exploring a joint production and
development venture in defence with Thailand. A high-level defence delegation
from Thailand led by its Permanent Secretary for Defence visited New
Delhi in late March, to explore joint production and development, besides
sourcing of arms.
The Indian side was keen to assist Thailand
in setting up a defence industry and had proposed a visit to Indian facilities
for the Thai side. While major platforms and systems will not be discussed now,
a start can be made on systems that the ordnance factories manufacture - from
explosives to small arms and defensive equipment, sources said.
Thailand was offering India an upgraded
defence relationship. It is a strategically-placed neighbour with whom India
shares common cultural linkages. India's joint defence production has so far
been confined to Russia, France, the US and Israel. An upgraded
Indo-Thai defence cooperation is also significant amid China's growing
ambitions and defence manures in the region.
The Defence Ministry has been keen on
engaging with Thailand. The first initiative was made in 2013 during a visit by
then Defence Minister AK Antony in which he raised the matter of joint
production with his Thai counterpart, Air Chief Marshal Sukumpol
Suwanatat.
There has been a keen interest by the Thai
side to engage with Indian scientists as well as learning from the experience
of setting up defence production facilities.
Till now, the bilateral defence relation
has been limited to joint exercises and training between the armed forces. Last
year, General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) of
the Royal Thai Armed Forces visited India.
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Follow 'Indian Military Review' blog at http://stratkor.blogspot.in for latest, comprehensive and thought provoking Defence & Security stories.
