Manohar Parrikar News

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said the country must rethink its submarine building plan and look for greater numbers than the existing plan of making 24 submarines. "Indian Navy needs to rethink its submarine building plans and should look for more number of submarines," Parrikar said. Referring to the existing 30-year submarine building plan that envisages construction of 24 submarines--both nuclear and conventional--Parrikar said India needed a longer plan till 2050. He also said that the strategic partnership model is in the last stage and once brought out, the ministry will fast- track the P75 India project under which six more conventional submarines are to be built. "Project 75-I of the navy is waiting for finalisation of a strategic partnership in submarine building.

India and the United States have agreed to strengthen their cooperation on maritime security, as concerns grow in Washington over Beijing’s growing military ambitions, reports AFP. India and the USA had agreed to two new projects under the Defence Trade and Technology Initiative (DTTI). According to a report by Sputnik, Washington and New Delhi agreed to strengthen cooperation in the sphere of maritime security in both Asia-Pacific and Indian Ocean regions during the meeting of Indian Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar and US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, a joint statement published following the talks said Tuesday. The logistics agreement will allow India and the United States to share and exchange logistics.

Indian Shipping Ministry is targeting to get investments worth $60 billion (nearly Rs 3.99 lakh crore) for a five-year term for 240 projects for the success of the ambitious Sagarmala project. The maiden Maritime India Summit 2016 in Mumbai has resulted in investment commitments of nearly Rs 83,000 crore ($13 billion) in the shipping, ports and allied sectors, Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari said. The  Summit, aims to promote port-led development by harnessing the 7,500-km coastline, 111 waterways of 14,500 km. At least 150 projects have been identified — infrastructure development (Rs 4 lakh crore), industrial investment (power, steel, manufacturing, Rs 8 lakh crore), augmentation of coastal shipping and inland waterways to cut logistic cost (Rs 35,000-40,000 crore).

As India’s shipping sector eyes continued growth in years to come, the country’s ministry of defense will ensure that the shipping sector receives the necessary assistance for growth, said Union Minister for Defense Manohar Parrikar. Parrikar was speaking at a session on Shipbuilding, Ship Repair and Ship Breaking at the Maritime India Summit 2016 here. He said that the maritime sector is crucial from the defense point of view. “Defense ministry will extend all possible support to the shipping industry,” Parrikar said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and  Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar agreed  to strengthen their cooperation on maritime security, as concerns grow in Washington over Beijing's growing military ambitions. Carter is in New Delhi to bolster a strategic relationship Washington considers crucial in the face of what it sees as China's rising assertiveness, particularly in the South China Sea. He and Parrikar visited the Indian Naval Base in Karwar and the INS Vikramaditya aircraft carrier. They also visited the USS Blue Ridge which was conducting a port call in Goa during the secretary’s visit. “Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the area of maritime security,” said a joint statement issued after Carter held talks with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.

India and the United States will "soon" conclude a commercial shipping information exchange agreement, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said on Tuesday in New Delhi after talks with his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.   Addressing a joint news conference, Parrikar said that the two countries have agreed to conclude a logistics supply agreement in the coming months. (Reporting by Yagenah Torbati and Tommy Wilkes; Writing by Douglas Busvine; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) strengthened its growing relationship with the defence sector by actively participating in the Maritime Exhibition (MAREX) during the high profile International Fleet Review 2016, organised by the Indian Navy at Visakhapatnam. MAREX focussed on the ‘Make in India’ initiative by showcasing indigenous maritime capabilities. The IRClass stall, which was located adjacent to the stalls of Defence Public Sector Shipyards, was visited by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, escorted by Admiral RK Dhowan, Chief of the Naval Staff, and accompanied by the Defence Minister, Shri Manohar Parrikar, and Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri N.

The United States and India have held talks about conducting joint naval patrols that a U.S. defense official said could include the disputed South China Sea, a move that would likely anger Beijing, which claims most of the waterway. Washington wants its regional allies and other Asian nations to take a more united stance against China over the South China Sea, where tensions have spiked in the wake of Beijing's construction of seven man-made islands in the Spratly archipelago.

India’s naval might was on full display off the coast of Visakhapatnam today (Saturday) as President Pranab Mukherjee reviewed the naval fleet. Mukherjee, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, was accompanied by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, among others at  International Fleet Review (IFR)-2016. Close to 75 Indian warships and 24 from Navies across the globe sailed past the Presidential yacht- INS Sumitra. President reviewed the international parade of fleets at  the IFR-2016 here where 50 countries have come together to participate in this show of prowess and preparedness by the Indian Navy. Along with warships from across the world, Indian navy is displaying its firepower and blue sea capabilities in this event.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a combined commanders' conference  on Tuesday (December 16) morning aboard INS Vikramaditya, stationed about 40 nautical miles on the high seas. INS Vikramaditya is a modified Kiev-class aircraft carrier that was inducted in the Indian Navy in 2013. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, apart from the three chiefs of the army, navy and airforce and other high-ranking defence officials were present at the meeting. The Army Chief General Dalbir Singh, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R K Dhowan and Chief of Air Staff Marshal Arup Raha have reached Kochi on Monday to take part in the event, which is held outside Delhi for the first time.

In a dramatic turn of events, China has asked India to play a "constructive and positive" role in safeguarding peace and stability in the disputed South China Sea, reports PTI. This statement comes as a guarded reaction to Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's call for ensuring freedom of navigation in the strategic waters amid escalated Sino-US tensions. "We hope that countries who really care about freedom of navigation in the South China Sea (SCS) can play (a) constructive and positive role" in peace and stability of the region, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying said. Addressing the third ASEAN Defence Minister’s Meeting (ADMM+) at Kuala Lumpur Mr. Parrikar said the situation in the South China Sea and recent developments there have attracted interest and concern.

India government’s failure to take a decision on the purchase of 98 Black Shark torpedoes worries Indian Navy as the induction of the first Scorpene submarine is less than a year away, reports DHNS. The navy plans to buy Black Shark torpedoes for its Scorpene submarines - under-construction at a yard in Mumbai - from Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei (WASS), a subsidiary of Italian defence conglomerate Finmeccanica embroiled in a chopper scam. After a desperate push by the navy that has called the torpedoes an “operational necessity”, defence minister Manohar Parrikar referred the proposed acquisition to the law ministry a few months ago but no guidelines have been issued so far.

India and Australia have commenced the first bilateral maritime exercise, Ausindex15, in Visakhapatnam, India, strengthening defence cooperation between the countries. Building on the personal relationship of Prime Minister Modi and Prime Minister Abbott, the Minister for Defence, the Honourable Kevin Andrews MP, recently visited India to further develop, with his counterpart Minster Manohar Parrikar, the Framework for Security Cooperation. “India is the emerging democratic super power of Asia. It is therefore sensible that the relationship between India and Australia be developed and strengthened,” Mr Andrews said. The maritime exercise…

India is in final talks with Russia to lease a new nuclear attack submarine, giving a much needed boost to its depleting underwater fleet, the Times of India reported. A decision, according to Indian analysts, will be taken during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in Ufa. The Modi-led government is looking to lease a newly built, customized submarine, unlike in the past when older vessels were refurbished and handed over to India. India has the 'Chakra 2' Akula class nuclear submarine in service that is considered to be one of the deadliest non-US attack boats in the world. This submarine - a refurbished Soviet era boat - has been taken on a 10-year lease from Russia in 2012.

Germany is hopeful in bagging multi-billion-dollar Indian submarine project for building six conventional submarines, says a PTI report. German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner said the P-75(I) project was under discussion and that the matter also came up during German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen's visit here last month. He said that the talk did not specify the modalities of the deal on whether this should be Business-to-Business or Government-to -Government. According to Michael his minister said that it was a clear sign that there is potential for cooperation in this field (defence) and also in the field of submarines. German defence major TKMS is offering India its HDW Class 214 vessel and is in talks with leading shipyards in the country for a tie-up.

The German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is visiting India lobbying for the purchase of German Stealth Submarines and European military hardware, say local media. Sources said that Ursula  talked of Eurofighter and [HDW] submarines in her discussions with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar. India reportedly asked Germany what all it could offer if a direct deal was struck between the two countries on next-generation submarines. The move comes after India recently announced to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems of Germany, which owns the submarine arm HDW, is among the few international companies…

Pakistan, a country plagued by economic and political insecurity, to conclude the deal of eight conventional submarines during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Islamabad on Monday (April 20), reports Bloomberg. This will help Pakistan gain the ability to fire nuclear weapons at sea, keeping pace with rival India, says analysts. Given the political instability and the activities of numerous terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, this poses great threat for whole world too. The submarine sale will add to tensions in regional waters as PM Narendra Modi bulks up India's navy to prevent China from gaining a foothold in the area. Nuclear weapons at sea pose a greater risk than stationary land-based arsenals because they are submerged and harder to detect.

Indian Navy's first Scorpene class stealth submarine, Kalvari, on Monday was undocked at the Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL) in Mumbai. The diesel-electric vessel INS Kalvari was built by Mazagon Dock Limited in collaboration with France’s DCNS, and it will now undergo sea trials before being formally handed over to the Navy in September next year. The launch of the submarine was witnessed by Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral RK Dhowan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, amongst others. After the launch of the Kalvari, Parrikar called for the staff and workers present at the docks to help make the Indian Navy a true 'Blue water Navy', and urged the defence public sector yards to double their production in the coming three years.

Somali pirates, after being neutralized by various countries’ navies, are shifting their locations towards India, but the country is watchful to deal with such threats, says Indian Defence minister Manohar Parrikar. Because their (shipping) lanes are heavily guarded, they have moved 30-40 nautical miles, although they still are 450 nautical miles away from India. Somali pirates have been a threat to international shipping in the Indian Ocean and especially in the Arabian Sea, and have made millions of dollars in ransom by seizing ships and kidnapping ship crews. “They may not be next to India but… We are watchful and careful,” Parrikar said.

India is reportedly considering a project to incorporate six Japanese Soryu-class diesel-electric submarines into its fleet, says The Japan Times. The Defense Minister of India Manohar Parrikar has expressed his readiness to consider acquiring Soryu-class diesel-electric submarines used by the Maritime Self-Defense Force. The reports in Indian media say it is not a purchasing plan. The proposal was sent asking the Japanese Government to 'consider the possibility' of building the six stealth submarines in India. This is what Parrikar said: “We are very much interested in Japan’s technologies.” But it is not clear if India would want to buy.

India and Japan have discussed a specialized 24-nation maritime construct to enable real-time sharing of data of all shipping including merchant and naval warships, operating in the Indian Ocean, parts of the Pacific Ocean and disputed waters of the South China Sea. Indian Defence minister Manohar Parrikar called on Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo on Monday, his first overseas trip since being appointed in November. Parrikar also met his counterpart Gen Nakatani as part of the 29 March-1 April visit. “A strong India-Japan partnership is not only in the national interest of the two countries but is also important for peace and security in the region,” defence ministry said in a statement, citing Abe.