India's Reliance Partners Rosoboronexport To Manufacture Ships, Subs

India’s Reliance Defense has entered into a strategic partnership with Russian United Shipbuilding Corp (USC) and Rosoboronexport eyeing multi-billion dollar surface vessel manufacturing, refitting and modernization program for the Indian Navy.

India is planning to manufacture four ‘Talwar’ class frontline warships costing over INR 30,000 crore (US $4.5 billion) for the navy. The four frigates will be entirely built in India through the Make In India route.

The agreement also focuses on modernisation and re-fitting of all Russian-origin surface warships of the Indian Navy at Reliance’s newly acquired facility in Pipavav.
Indian Navy currently has 35 Russian-made surface ships in its fleet.

“Our proposed partnership will constitute an important milestone in the strategic relationship between the two Countries,” Chairman of Reliance Group Anil Ambani said on Thursday.

The pact will be among the many projects discussed during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bilateral talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday.

Reliance’s Pipavav shipyard is one of the contenders for India’s plans to build six conventional submarines under its Project 75i costing an approximate of INR 60,000 crore (US $9 billion).

The tender for the project would be a ‘buy and make (India)’ one, which implies tie-ups for technology with foreign collaborators with substantial manufacturing in India.

Project 75i is designed to purchase 6 next generation diesel submarines with Air Independent Propulsion System (AIP) technology for Indian Navy by 2022.