India shelves plan to expand French Scorpene submarine order

TIL Desk/Business/New Delhi-India is unlikely to give French naval contractor DCNS a proposed order for three new submarines, in addition to the six it is already building in the country, following the leak of secret data about its capabilities, Indian defence officials said.

Details of the Scorpene submarine were published in the Australian newspaper last month, triggering concerns that it had become vulnerable even before it was ready to enter service.

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.