Beyond Project 75: Next-Generation Innovations in Indo-French Naval Cooperation

The bilateral defence cooperation between India and France has become a key stabilising factor in the region in a time of changing geopolitical processes and the growing strategic significance of the Indo-Pacific region. The centre of this long-term partnership is the naval cooperation led by the Naval Group in France and the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL), which is a state-owned company in India. New deals that were signed at the end of 2025 and are developing throughout 2026 have greatly increased their area of collaboration. This changing relationship is no longer limited only to domestic procurement but has shifted to an advanced system comprising next-generation submarine development, integration of indigenous technology and joint export ventures. This partnership is in line with the Indo-French Horizon 2047 roadmap, where the two countries share a common goal of technological sovereignty and strategic autonomy.

The foundation of the present-day Naval Group and MDL synergy lies in the fact that Project 75 was implemented very successfully. In this programme, MDL was able to build and ship six Scorpion-class diesel-electric submarines, the Kalvari class, in India, using high-level technology transfers by Naval Group. The result of this complicated industrial project was that India had become capable of building its domestic ships on an entirely new level. Indian engineers now possessed proprietary knowledge of the submarine architecture, pressure hull construction, and acoustic stealth reduction methods. The successful implementation of such advanced underwater platforms gave the critical foundation to the further steps of the technological improvement and actually transformed India from a rather passive purchaser of the defence platforms to the efficient integrator of the highly sophisticated systems of naval combat.

The largest technological development that is in progress is the modernisation of the Kalvari-class fleet to include an indigenous air-independent propulsion (AIP) system. A traditional diesel-electric submersible has to rise to the surface or snorkel after every few days to fuel its diesel engines and replenish its battery cells, which makes it very susceptible to enemy radar and sonar scans. To offset this, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) of India came up with a state-of-the-art fuel-cell-based AIP system in July 2025 that produces power onboard without the need to use atmospheric oxygen. In July 2025, Naval Group and MDL signed a critical agreement to facilitate the incorporation of this DRDO-developed energy plug into the existing submarines. Adding a new part of technology is a very complex mechanical integration process. This is done by taking the submarine to dry dock, accurately cutting the pressure hull, installing the newly made AIP module safely and permanently, and rejoining the structure to guarantee total watertight integrity at the deepest depths of the ocean. To provide the local AIP with a smooth interface with the French-designed platform, Naval Group offers necessary technical control, proprietary material, and specialised engineering training. This modernisation will increase the submerged viability of the submarines by a few weeks, and this will revolutionise the tactical value of the submarines in the Indian Ocean.

In addition to propulsion and stealth, the Kalvari-class is also undergoing a massive upgrade in lethality. Along with the AIP integration, the Indian Ministry of Defence gave contracts to the Naval Group to enable the integration of an Electronic Heavy Weight Torpedo (EHWT) system, which the DRDO developed itself. These advanced torpedoes have acoustic homing sensors, extremely sophisticated electronic guidance systems, and a high degree of resistance to present-day anti-torpedo countermeasures. The Indian Navy, by integrating the silent nature of the operation of the AIP-armed Scorpion platform with the precision strike capability of the EHWT, is keeping its underwater fleet a formidable deterrent to modern threats at sea.

The most important strategic milestone in this bilateral relationship was perhaps in October 2025, when Naval Group and MDL signed an extension of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer mutually friendly foreign countries evolved Scorpion-class submarines that have been built in India. Such an agreement is a historic paradigm shift in the defence sector of India. Rather than just fulfilling the demands of the domestic market, India is currently positioned as a manufacturing centre that can produce high-grade maritime platforms and export them to the global market. Through the experience that the Naval Group has had in combat system design and the affordability of the MDL industrial production that comes with the Make in India initiative, the joint venture can provide a better, trusted, and technologically developed option to countries aiming at modernising the navy.

The recent developments orchestrated by the Naval Group, MDL, and DRDO are a masterpiece in international defence-industrial cooperation. India and France are together developing the future of underwater warfare by seamlessly combining French design heritage with Indian native innovation – fuel cell AIP endurance, next-generation torpedo integration, and joint export strategies. With global maritime security issues becoming more and more complicated, this alliance strengthens the Indian strategic position and also creates a robust and collaborative architecture that can protect the greater Indo-Pacific region well into the future.