German naval group Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has partnered with India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) to overhaul and modernize the Indian submarine INS Shankush.
State-owned MDL clinched the 27.25 billion Indian rupees ($332 million) Medium Refit with Life Certification (MRLC) contract in June.
The partnership will see Thyssenkrupp providing “material packages of selected systems, equipment, and components” and “on-site technical support and pressure hull inspection.”
The upgraded submarine is slated to be delivered in 2026.
10-Year Life Extension
The INS Shankush is the second of four HDW Class Type 209 submarines operational with the Indian Navy.
The lead boat of the diesel-electric attack submarine class, INS Shishumar, has been undergoing MRLC since 2018 and is likely to sail by August, according to The Hindu Business Line.
“With the MRLC of the first boat INS Shishumar signed in 2018, Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders had already extended the service life of one of the four Indian submarines for another ten years,” Thyssenkrupp revealed.
Four Decades Old
The 64.4-meter (211 feet) Shishumar-class vessel has a submerged displacement of 1,850 tons.
The submarines were built as part of a German-Indian joint effort in the 1980s.
ThyssenKrupp subsidiary Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft built the first boat in Germany, while the rest were built by MDL in India.