MENA Newswire, NEW DELHI: India has advanced a plan to procure six next generation conventional submarines with Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited under the Indian Navy’s Project 75(I), a program with cost estimates in public reporting ranging from about $8 billion to $10 billion. The acquisition is designed to add boats with air independent propulsion and increased submerged endurance to India’s conventional submarine force.
The project centers on building the submarines in India with technology transfer and long term support arrangements tied to the foreign designer. The German Indian partnership remains the only contender after the procurement process narrowed following technical and sea evaluation requirements that include a sea proven air independent propulsion system, a condition that eliminated other bids during the competitive phase.
In a joint statement issued after talks in New Delhi on January 12, 2026, India and Germany described defence and defence industrial cooperation as a priority area and referenced efforts to facilitate expeditious export clearances for defence equipment and technology. The statement set a formal political framework for defence industry engagement, while India’s submarine program continues under its domestic procurement rules and contractual process.
Pakistan is not part of India’s procurement, and it is pursuing a separate submarine modernization program anchored in Chinese designs and shipyards. Pakistan has contracted for eight Hangor class diesel electric submarines, with construction split between facilities in China and Pakistan, as it seeks to expand the Pakistan Navy’s undersea fleet alongside existing French built Agosta class boats.
Industrial pathway and tender mechanics
The Indian submarine plan is structured to pair a foreign original equipment manufacturer with an Indian shipbuilder for domestic production, integration and lifecycle support. Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, which built India’s Scorpene derived Kalvari class submarines under an earlier program, is positioned as the domestic build partner, while ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems brings the platform design and associated systems to the proposed contract.
Pakistan’s earlier engagement with German submarine technology did not result in a contract. Pakistan explored purchasing German designed Type 214 submarines in the late 2000s, but the effort did not proceed, and Pakistan later moved toward Chinese suppliers for its next major submarine acquisition. Since then, Pakistan’s most significant naval procurement initiatives in the undersea domain have been linked to Chinese industrial partners and financing structures.
Germany’s export control regime has also intersected with submarine programs involving China, including cases where German made components required export licenses for third country deliveries. Public reporting has described instances in which Germany did not approve export licenses for specific German engines associated with Chinese submarine exports, prompting design and supply chain adjustments on affected projects.
Pakistan watches a different supply chain
Pakistan’s Hangor class program has been presented by Pakistan and Chinese sources as a key element of naval modernization, with hulls under construction and launches reported at Chinese shipyards. The submarines are based on Chinese design work, with planned local participation for later units, and are intended to increase Pakistan’s conventional submarine inventory over time as older boats age.
India’s Project 75(I) sits alongside other Indian naval efforts to expand undersea capabilities, including the Kalvari class already in service and ongoing work on nuclear powered submarines under separate programs. India’s conventional submarine fleet also includes older Russian origin Kilo class boats and German origin Type 209 boats, creating a mixed inventory that the navy has sought to modernize through phased acquisitions.
The India Germany submarine track and Pakistan’s China linked Hangor class track underscore two different procurement pathways in South Asia’s undersea domain. India’s plan is tied to a domestic build model with foreign technology partnership, while Pakistan’s program is built around Chinese design and industrial support, leaving Islamabad on the sidelines of New Delhi’s negotiations with Berlin as India moves through its own contracting process.