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New Delhi: Germany is ready to sign the proposed submarine partnership with India once New Delhi completes the remaining approvals, German Ambassador to India Jasper Wieck said on September 23, signalling that the long-pending Project 75(I) programme is moving towards its final stage. Wieck stressed that the proposed partnership with Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) is intended to involve submarine production and technology transfer in India, rather than simply importing German-built submarines.
“I think the most important about this deal is that it is a real partnership,” Wieck told ANI, adding that the focus is on producing the submarines and transferring technology to India. He said Germany is ready to proceed “at any moment” once the Indian authorities provide the required final approvals.
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The proposed deal involves six next-generation conventional submarines under Project 75(I), with Indian shipbuilder Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) partnering with TKMS. The programme envisages construction in India and technology transfer to strengthen the country's indigenous submarine manufacturing capability.
The programme is estimated in recent reporting at around €8 billion, or more than ₹90,000 crore, although the final contractual value remains subject to the completion of the government approval process. A technical review of the technology-transfer package has been identified as a key remaining step before the proposal moves for final approval.
Project 75(I) was conceived under the Strategic Partnership Model to build six Air Independent Propulsion (AIP)-equipped conventional submarines in India. The original procurement framework requires substantial indigenous manufacture and technology transfer covering submarine design, construction, maintenance and critical systems.
The German partnership could therefore have implications well beyond the six platforms. Wieck said the project would benefit multiple Indian companies and the wider maritime industrial ecosystem, potentially creating capabilities across shipbuilding, submarine systems, engineering, maintenance and associated supply chains.
For Germany, the project represents a major expansion of its defence-industrial engagement with India. The two countries have already agreed on a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap aimed at long-term industry-level collaboration, including technology partnerships, co-development and co-production. Their leaders have also highlighted submarine cooperation as an existing area of defence engagement.
For India, the significance lies in the opportunity to strengthen domestic capability in one of the most technically demanding areas of naval warfare. The P-75(I) framework seeks to progressively build Indian capabilities in complex submarine design, manufacturing and sustainment rather than relying solely on overseas procurement.
The project also fits into India's broader effort to expand its underwater warfare capability and indigenous naval-industrial base amid growing emphasis on maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region. A successful technology-transfer partnership could give Indian industry experience that extends beyond the immediate submarine programme.
With Germany now signalling readiness to sign once India's approvals are completed, Project 75(I) is entering a decisive phase. The key question is no longer only the acquisition of six submarines, but how much long-term design, manufacturing and sustainment capability the partnership ultimately transfers to India's maritime industrial ecosystem.
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