By Kamal Shah
From research and Schooling to encouraging new technologies and focusing attention on collaborations with Indian industry, the Naval Group also shares its unique expertise in oceanic defence systems including drones and the employment of AI in working on underwater platforms as well as experience on the Scorpeon class of submarines. Mr Soumyajyoti Basu, Vice President, Sales – India of Naval Group in conversation with Kamal Shah on an exciting relationship with India’s nautical needs.
Q. Given India’s emergence as a significant player in the global defence sector, particularly in the realm of indigenous defence production and technological innovation, how do you perceive India’s potential as a market for Naval Group? Furthermore, what importance do you attribute to innovation and advanced technologies in enhancing national security, particularly within the maritime domain?
A. India has an immense capacity to adopt, nurture and sustain naval defence technologies. Having around two decades of presence in India, the Naval Group is rooted in advancing cooperation with Indian industries to leverage joint capabilities to not only serve the maritime goals of India but also extend the same to potential export markets.
Further, Naval Group has invested in research and development for past years in order to encourage the development of new technologies and empower engineering minds and skills for the betterment of the naval defence industry.
Naval Group & French institutes, such as Campus Mondial de la Mer or INRIA, have collaborated with the best of the Indian engineers from premium schools like IIT Goa, IIT Delhi, NITs and others in cofounded research on important technologies such as signal-to-underwater signal analyses using AI, Track Motion Analyses, Non-Destructive Test on special materials etc. These have utility in naval defence – but not only – these research works will benefit the engineering industry of India and France globally.
In France, we continue to invest in technologies that are at the core of naval defence – be it improvement of present technologies and their performances or getting future-ready. We feel we have greatly made advances in the area of energy efficiency, unmanned naval drones and the use of artificial intelligence in the underwater trajectory of platforms (drones) among others.
Q. In light of the extensive partnership between India and France, particularly through the Naval Group’s significant involvement in the Scorpene submarine project, how do you assess the future trajectory of defence cooperation between the two nations? Specifically, what role do you foresee this collaboration playing in response to the evolving security dynamics within the Indo-Pacific region?
A. Beyond the successful building of Kalvari class submarines by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) based on Scorpene® design under the P75 program, Naval Group is actively working with submarines. Such cooperation goes beyond submarine and submarine technologies.
Under the ambit of defence cooperation between India and France, we are working with MDL, who is proposing 3 additional submarines to be delivered to the Navy in the shortest possible time and having considerable indigenous content.
We have also signed MoUs with Indian defence shipyards, notably with Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) for Gowind class corvettes or frigates and with MDL for Scorpene® submarine-related opportunities.
Going forward India – France defence roadmap agreed in early 2024 between our nations – could also cover co-development and co-production of defence systems including focused efforts in the domain of underwater drones.
Q. Given India’s strong commitment to the ‘AtmanirbharBharat’ initiative and the emphasis on indigenization within the defence sector, could you elaborate on Naval Group’s strategic roadmap for enhancing local content in its future projects? Additionally, what collaborative efforts are being made with Indian companies and start-ups to foster innovation and establish a self-sufficient defence ecosystem?
A. Naval Group India is working with a range of Indian MSMEs under the P75 program. All our Indian industrial partners are working with us to support our services to the Navy and MDL for future maintenance and refit activities and also getting periodically trained for specific expertise when required.
As the Indian Navy and industry are experienced in submarine maintenance already – we want to complement the ecosystem with our real value additions and create an ambience of cooperation and not competition.
Naval Group is the only Foreign OEM in India to have set up technical workshops at Mumbai & Karwar (close to the Indian Navy). This represents our serious investment in the country and our willingness to be close to the customer for the after-sales support for Kalvari class submarines. Our indigenous efforts can be seen in the way we are working on mission-critical systems such as, but not limited to combat management systems, weapon systems, platform management systems, masts, and valves, among others. The growth potential is there and we are planning for it based on discussion and analysis of the needs of the customer.
Q. What specific strategies and technological advancements are the Naval Group pursuing to enhance the capabilities of unmanned and autonomous underwater vessels (UUVs) and surface vessels (USVs), and how do you envision their integration influencing the efficacy and operational dynamics of future naval operations?
A. Naval Group has created a dedicated business line to focus efforts on the development of underwater naval drones and unmanned warships. We are working on the key technology bricks in this futuristic domain of unmanned platforms and autonomous decision-making. We would be happy to present our product range and technological breakthroughs during the forthcoming Euronaval exhibition in Paris.
