India to launch submarine production

MUMBAI—India is to begin assembling Franco-Spanish Scorpene attack submarines this week as part of plan to boost its naval power and military-industrial know-how. Indian navy Vice Admiral S.K.K. Krishnan, the head of Mumbai’s Mazagaon Dock naval shipyard, said production would begin on Thursday, with a formal opening ceremony attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to be held at a later date.
The 2.4 billion euro deal to build an initial six diesel submarines was signed in October 2005 with Armaris, a subsidiary of France’s Thales group and Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN). The agreement also includes the sale of 36 Exocet-type anti-submarine and anti-ship missiles. “As far as the production is concerned, nothing has changed. We are technically ready. Production will be starting on Thursday,” Krishnan told AFP. “This is only phase one. We plan to build 18 more indigenous submarines,” he said.—Agencies