http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20041029/nation.htm#2
Navy to buy French submarines soon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, October 28
Despite allegations of middlemen being involved in the earlier deal of Mirage fighter aircraft, the Indian Navy is to be given the clearance to ink the multi-billion dollar deal for the purchase of Scorpene submarines from French firm DCN international.
Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash today said the $ 1.5 billion deal to acquire six French Scorpene submarines was “under very close examination at the highest level of the government”
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing Naval Commanders conference, he said, “We have received assurance that the deal will see the light of the day soon”.
However, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee refused to go into specifics of individual deals and in his interaction with the visiting French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the issue of overall defence cooperation between the two countries had figured prominently.
Incidentally, the previous NDA Government had almost cleared the Scorpene deal and only the Cabinet Committee on Security had to give a final go ahead for it.
Under the deal, India is to build six Scorpene submarines under licence at the Mazagoan docks, with the option of raising the numbers.
Scorpene is the one of the most advanced conventional submarine in the world and is armed with upgraded exocet submarine to surface missiles.
Addressing the Navy Commanders, the Defence Minister gave an indication that Navy would also be given a go ahead for some other major acquisitions, which may include modern warships and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV).
He said Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had given vital suggestions to strengthen Navy and these were being implemented rapidly. Dr Manmohan Singh, in his interaction with the commanders, had told military planners to get out of neighbourhood threat syndrome and to plan to ensure that India played its due regional role from Horn of Africa to Indian Ocean Rim.
At the conference, it was projected that urgent steps were needed to ensure that Indian Naval force levels did not fall to critical levels and to boost up under-sea and surveillance capabilities.
The Commanders-in-Chief of the three Naval Commands, Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff, Director General of Coast Guard and Principal staff officers at the Naval headquarters attended the conference, which concluded here today.
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