Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL) is developing an AIP Plug for the fifth and sixth Scorpene submarines, which would be installed on them only if the development is completed within the schedule of the construction of the two submarines.
French warship builder DCNS will display the Scorpene submarine design at DefExpo 2012 in New Delhi, six of which are under construction for the Indian Navy at the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) in Mumbai.
Air-Independent Propulsion is an auxiliary system for increasing the endurance of the boat’s sub-surface operability. The DCNS system, known as MESMA (Module d’Energie Sous-Marine Autonome), is based on the combustion of stored oxygen and ethanol to augment battery-powered propulsion.
The Indian Navy’s submarine strength is projected to fall by 30 per cent in 2015 and 50 per cent in 2020, at the current pace of the acquisition process.
