So no Scorpene for Australia after all.

India shelves plan to expand French Scorpene submarine order after data breach

DCNS had offered to build three more submarines to help India replace its ageing Soviet-era fleet, and had held talks over the past year, two Indian sources said.

That offer will not now be taken up, according to the officials.

“We had an agreement for six, and six it will remain,” a defence ministry official briefed on the navy’s plans told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

I think this will definitely (?) answer the question raised regarding how many Scorpene India will have in final.

As a side note…

DCNS spokesman Emmanuel Gaudez said the company was “stunned” by the information. “The talks are ongoing with the government and our Indian partners. We have not been informed in anyway of such a decision,” he said.

Source:
Time of India Via Reuters

Why it does not match, Hercules Poireau would have said

A fine analysis by Abhijit Iyer-Mitra

notice that in part of the Fr specialized web, the finger pointing game has started with the usual suspects (the Indian bureaucrats and the Amerikans).

the problem is with India. why sign up for such project where first boat technology will be 20 years old by time it operational. such long time is enough to catch the tech. the fear of unknown will make force changes.

http://www.ibtimes.co.in/scorpene-leaked-documents-contain-details-sm39-anti-ship-missiles-691624#QwcGM3k53McgsZ5s.97A naval officer told IANS, India can make changes in the submarine at any stage, “if needed” and the country is capable of making changes to submarines in “worst-case scenario” situations. He also said that the final signature of the submarine is yet to be established.
Read more at http://www.ibtimes.co.in/scorpene-leaked-documents-contain-details-sm39-anti-ship-missiles-691624#W1qhWfKzjByTfx77.99

Australia court orders temporarly the end of the leak

An Australian Court on Monday granted temporary injunction against further publication of leaked Scorpene submarine data by The Australian newspaper, on an application moved by French defence firm DCNS that has been rocked by the document leak scandal.

The newspaper will also have to remove documents from its website and give French firm DCNS all of the company material in its possession, the court order says. The order will expire on Thursday when the dispute will be heard in the Australian Supreme Court.

DCNS lawyers had reportedly told The Australian, “The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation”.

Indian Navy also denied any playdown confirming the serious nature of the leak.

Source:
The Quint.com

yes. 2011. This is what makes this story more like a state affair than a J. Le Carre franchise. I am on the opinion that the timing (release) is what should drive the lecture of this event.
We should have heard from the Fr gov already and we have not…

A lire (en Fr.) : http://www.corlobe.tk/spip.php?article41867

(a translation of the australian news)

In En:
With focus on Scorpene, ghost of another leak haunts MDL

Navy caught b/w devil and deep sea

Here too, the usual tragedy of Indian defence procurement has hit the Navy’s strike capability. Over 17 years later, not a single submarine has been delivered.

Considering the volume of documentation leaked, is it even likely that a single guy is responsible?

Nic

Seems that this guy was involved in the training preparation for Scorpene service entry. There would be a depth of supporting materiel for that role, covering the full scope of the programme, that would not be expected to be available to staff routinely. It’s the breadth of the systems included in the leaked materiel that makes the given story more credible for me. It does seem plausible at least.

The slightly more concerning issue is that it seems the package was copied 5yrs ago and it’s sat unregarded on a server in Singapore for years with no one any the wiser. Very slack documentation control on DCNS part….real amateur hour!. So much so, where I an owner of a big ticket DCNS product, I’d be calling my support representatives for a little chat directly!.

it also seems that India has been stunned by the span of the leak. If at first they have played down the importance of the data released, on Friday Parrikar was less blunt. Seems India have launched a 30 days enquiry.

Good they removed to crime of high treason from the law a few years back… :confused:

what are you after ?

Current reports are that the documents were actually leaked by a former French Naval Officer who was working for DCNS, so the information has been taken from France and not leaked from India.

Considering the volume of documentation leaked, is it even likely that a single guy is responsible?

Nic

Good they removed to crime of high treason from the law a few years back… :confused:

I think we all agree on this.

The big question that remains is how will India seek for compensations? A squadron or two of free Rafale or a fountain of Chanel nbr 5?

lol there will be some intense negotiations behind closed doors on this one, could end up a good deal for India 🙂 they could end up with planes that smell very nice !

I think we all agree on this.

The big question that remains is how will India seek for compensations? A squadron or two of free Rafale or a fountain of Chanel nbr 5?

Current reports are that the documents were actually leaked by a former French Naval Officer who was working for DCNS, so the information has been taken from France and not leaked from India.

Although from an Australia context, this is not an issue on the submarine type, as Jonesy has pointed out above, and has been played down by the PM and Defence, there are much broader issues for the systems Australia intends to use with the Shortfin, this leak will play havoc with Australia gaining FMS approval from the US for the Combat systems etc. Questions will be asked, and special procedures and requirements will now be put into place to protect relevant information. DCNS and France will have no choice but to agree to all if they wish to have the contract, because if the US do not supply the kit we want, the French will not get the contract

Cheers

The leak is specific to Indian Scorpene program , I suspect some one hacked off Indian MOD and got that data

Ah good to know thanks. Still worrying to say the least. How do you trust a supplier who gets technical information filter?

Not quite as straightforward as that Nic. The Aussie design, the Shortfin Barracuda, is supposedly closely based on the MN’s new Suffren class SNA’s. Any leak of data regarding the Barracuda design arguably has greater ramifications for Paris than Canberra!. The assumption would have to be for a different level of security for a ‘local’ design over a commercial one.

…besides there’s many chunks of aerospace/defence technology that have turned up in, shall we say, the far east that started out in American institutions….there are still plenty of takers for US hardware.

DefenseNews Today:

the Australian government said the leak would have no effect on its submarine project.

“The Minister for Defence Industry has received advice from the Department of Defence that what is reported to have taken place in regards to the DCNS project in India has no bearing on the Australian Government’s Future Submarine Program,”

Like it is said above, the nature of the Au contract makes this leak irrelevant. Although it opens some credible doubt regarding the seriousness of the gov. structured way of pursuing mil. deals (the timing, the nature, the extend of the leak, the way it was leaked doesn’t point toward a foreign secretive operation but to some internal disfunctionnement..

Ah good to know thanks. Still worrying to say the least. How do you trust a supplied who gets technical information filter?

Someone took good care of that.

http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2016/08/23/97001-20160823FILWWW00357-fuite-massive-de-donnees-de-la-dcns-sur-le-sous-marin-scorpene.php

Nic

Australia wasnt getting involved in Scorpene anyway Nic….the design conditionally downselected isnt based on that hull and the sensor/weapons details will differ for the Aussie boats. If Australia is upset by anything it’ll only be the question mark over DCNS’ information security.

There’s a few other nations that will take a dim view of this though….