Shishumar-class submarine
The Shishumar-class submarines (lit. 'Dolphin') are diesel-electric attack submarines, currently in active service with the Indian Navy. These submarines are an Indian variant[4] of the Type 209 submarines developed by the German yard Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft under the internal designation "Type 1500". The first two vessels were built by HDW at Kiel, Germany, while the remainder were built by Mazagon Dock Limited, at Mumbai, India, under a technology transfer agreement.[5] The submarines were commissioned between 1986 and 1994. These submarines have a displacement of 1,660 tons when surfaced, a speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph), and a complement of 40 including eight officers. The Shishumar class is unique among Type 209s for having an IKL-designed integrated escape sphere. The sphere has accommodations for the entire crew with an eight-hour air supply.[6][7] The submarines form the 10th Submarine Squadron at INS Vajrabahu, Mumbai.[8] HistoryIndia signed the agreement for these submarines with Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) on 11 December 1981. The agreement called for building of two submarines in West Germany, the supply of knocked-down kits for assembling two more submarines in Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), and training for construction and logistics services. An agreement was announced in 1984 for the construction of two additional submarines in MDL, but was subsequently cancelled due to economic crisis in the late 1980s.[2] The four submarines that were finally built form the 10th submarine squadron based at Mumbai.[3] Timeline
Corruption chargesBy mid-1987, only two submarines were delivered. Meanwhile, the then Defence Minister V. P. Singh, under the Rajiv Gandhi Ministry, he was informed that the Germans might have overcharged India and attempted so that the next batch of two submarines could be priced correctly. However, things took a turn when J. C. Ajmani, the Indian ambassador to Bonn, telegrammed the Defence Minister on 24 February 1987 that the Gernans alleged that the price could not be reduced since the contract included 7% commissions.[9][10] V. P. Singh first saw this message in April and ordered an immediate inquiry in 9 April. On 12 April, Singh resigned from the ministry. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a First Information Report (FIR) in a New Delhi court identifying seven persons as principal conspirators in a criminal plot to award the contract to HDW, including S. K. Bhatnagar, former Defence Secretary; S. S. Sidhu, former Additional Secretary of Defence and the then secretary-general, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO); Captain M. Kondath, former Director (Submarines); B. S. Ramaswamy, former financial adviser to the Defence Ministry; Directors and agents of HDW; Directors and agents of AEG-T West Germany (torpedo supplier) and Directors of Ferrostaal. The charges included the failure of Indian Civil Servants to stand against HDW during negotiations and their acquiescence to its unrealistic financial demands, incorrect calculation of the HDW deal cost by Defence Ministry officials, manipulations to various technical and financial parameters of the HDW offer by senior officials and the members of the committee so as to rank HDW first against its earlier second preference and the change of price quotations by HDW, AEG-T and Ferrostaal without informing the government.[9][10] S. S. Sidhu was the prime accused as per the CBI investigation. Allegations registered against him ranged from manipulation of techno-commercial data as well as declaring himself chairman of negotiating committee without documentation which was accepted as a fait accompli and misinforming the CCPA about the Germans willing to sign a memorandum of understanding on transfer of technology. The Germans under the norms of NATO security compulsions were not meant to transfer the technology and they ultimately did not do so.[9][10] S. K. Bhatnagar had taken over Sidhu as the Additional Secretary of Defence and was responsible for finalising the deal. He reportedly dismissed the suggestions of the committee members to reopen the deal process before CCPA in due of the altered technical and financial details. He also ignored the then Vice Admiral M. R. Schunker's appeal during the meeting of 18 October 1980 about the technical specifications of HDW being unacceptable to the Navy. Schunker also stated during a meeting in November that the capabilities of the torpedo to be supplied by AEG-T could not be evaluated since classified data were not disclosed by the German Government. However, the appeal was also ignored by Bhatnagar.[9][10] Captain M. Kondath, a key official in the SSK project, allegedly manipulated figures in favour of HDW while serving as Director (Submarine Armament). Accused of inflating Kockums’ cost and seeking post-retirement employment with HDW, he applied for premature retirement soon after the deal's approval. Though denied permission to join HDW, he continued liaising with its associates and later joined Ferrostaal. Meanwhile, financial adviser B.S. Ramaswamy allegedly inflated Kockums' cost by misapplying escalation to fixed components, making HDW appear cheaper. Both the CBI and PAC later found Kockums was actually less expensive, contradicting Ramaswamy’s calculations used to justify the HDW deal.[9][10] Mid Life Upgrades and Service historyThe Indian Navy awarded a $151 million contract for mid-life upgrade and certification of INS Shishumar in 2018. The refit was carried out by MDL at Mumbai with technical cooperation from ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.[11][12] The refit was planned to be completed by 2021 with a similar upgrade for another vessel of Shishumar-class submarine to follow. [11] The ship was expected to be delivered by 2021 but owing to Covid-19 delays the ship will now be delivered to the Indian Navy in August 2023.[13] Similarly, a second mid-life upgrade contract was awarded to the Mazagon Dock for refit and life certification of the second submarine Shankush on 30 June 2023. The completion date of mid-life upgrade and certification is 2026. The total estimated cost to be around ₹2,725 crore (US$320 million).[14] Total three ships out of four will undergo mid-life refit and certification, this will extend the life of the submarine by 10–15 years.[13] One of the submarine participated in Exercise Malabar 2024 which was held from 8 to 18 October.[15] Two of these submarines were deployed alongside INS Vikrant along with seven frontline warships and four submarines (Kalvari class and Sindhughosh class) on 7 November 2024. The operations included carrier operations of MiG-29K, missile firing drills, submarine manoeuvres and flypasts by 30 aircraft demonstrated to the President of India Droupadi Murmu who was present on board INS Vikrant.[16][17][18] Ships of the class
Commissions received during the orderIn a July 2005 interview with NDTV, V. P. Singh said that in 1987, while he was a minister, he had received a telegram from the Indian ambassador in Germany with the information that Indian agents had received large illegal commissions in the HDW submarine deal.[19] Singh informed the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi about this and instituted an enquiry. Subsequently, this led to differences and Singh decided to resign from the cabinet.[20] See alsoReferences
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