India has taken a key step towards strengthening the Navy's underwater capabilities with the start of the second phase of work on an indigenously developed air-independent propulsion system, news agency Press Trust of India reported, citing the defence ministry.
The system will allow diesel-electric submarines to remain underwater for longer by reducing their dependence on atmospheric oxygen. It is planned to be integrated into a Kalvari-class submarine in early 2027.
The ministry said the 'Setting to Work Phase-2' activity for the system's energy module was inaugurated at Larsen & Toubro's AM Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat, on Saturday.
The energy module was developed by the Naval Materials Research Laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation. In the next phase, it will be activated for power production and rigorously tested under the Navy's protocols before being handed over to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited for integration into the submarine, according to PTI.
Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, who also holds additional charge as DRDO chairman and Secretary of the Department of Defence Research and Development, attended the ceremony virtually. Indian Navy Chief of Materiel Vice Admiral B Sivakumar and DRDO Director General for Naval Systems and Materials R Balamuralikrishnan attended the event in Hazira.
Singh congratulated the DRDO and its industry partners and praised the scientific perseverance and industrial cooperation behind the indigenous programme, which had resulted in a "productive reality on the shop floor", the ministry said.
He also acknowledged the Indian Navy's cooperation with the DRDO throughout the programme, including testing and validation at every stage. Singh stressed the need to complete the next phases in line with the Navy's induction schedule while "maintaining the exacting safety culture that hydrogen and fuel cell systems require without compromise", according to the ministry.
The second phase will now focus on power production and testing before the indigenous system is handed over for integration into a Kalvari-class submarine in early 2027.
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With PTI inputs