India's submarine fleet modernisation has been marked by delays. Analyse the causes and suggest reforms.

The Standing Committee on Defence (2016-17) found the Navy holding 15 submarines aged 16–30 years against a planned 18 [1]. The six Project-75 Scorpenes were due by December 2017, but the last was commissioned only in January 2025 [2]. These delays come from the system itself, not from one-off mishaps.

Causes of delay

• Slow decision-making: P-75(I), for six AIP-fitted submarines, reached the RFP stage only in July 2021 under the Strategic Partnership model [3].
• Stop-gap planning: With new boats late, the Navy was left with Medium Refit Life Certification of six old submarines as the "only available option" [1].
• Foreign design dependence: The Kalvari boats are licence-built Scorpenes, with Naval Group as the foreign partner [4]. Even DRDO's indigenous AIP needs Naval Group certification before it can be integrated [5].
• Technology-integration lag: The AIP was to be fitted "soon" in 2023 [5]. It is now targeted for early 2027 [6]. The retrofit also needs a new hull section, the AIP Plug (₹1,990 crore) [7].
• Ageing fleet: 53% of naval vessels are over 15 years old [2], so each delay widens the capability gap.
• Weak cost evaluation: Parliament had to ask for a cost-benefit study of buying new boats versus refitting old ones [1].

Reforms

• Time-bound procurement: Set fixed milestones for P-75(I) from RFP to contract, with accountability for slippage.
• Design rights in contracts: Future deals should give India enough design data to modify its own hulls without a foreign certifier [4][5].
• Scale the indigenous ecosystem: Build on the DRDO–L&T–Thermax–MDL model behind the AIP [8][7]. Use its sea-trial results to decide whether P-75(I) uses Indian AIP [3].
• Plan upgrades with refits: Fit the AIP Plug during each boat's planned refit, so each boat leaves service only once.
• Transparency: Publish the cost-benefit comparison and report trial progress to the Standing Committee [1].
• Continuous production: A steady flow of orders keeps shipyard skills alive between projects.

Slow procurement, foreign designs and late technology integration have together caused these delays. Time-bound acquisition, ownership of designs and a steady indigenous production line can make the Kalvari AIP retrofit a template for P-75(I). That would give the Navy a credible undersea deterrent in the Indian Ocean and advance Aatmanirbhar Bharat in defence.