The renewed relationship between France’s Naval Group and India’s Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) is a significant step towards cementing India’s rising role in global submarine manufacture.
Earlier in July 2025, MDL reached a formal agreement with Naval Group to assist the transfer of technology for installing indigenous energy system plugs aboard the Indian Navy’s Kalvari-class submarines.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) created these plugs to improve the underwater endurance and power efficiency of vessels by integrating air-independent propulsion (AIP).
Mazagon Dock will handle the complicated integration of these DRDO-developed AIP plugs into the Kalvari-class hulls, according to the most recent agreement.
The technology is based on the French Scorpene design, which was originally transmitted through the P-75 program.
With this renewal, both institutions aim to jointly manufacture and export a new generation of advanced submarines to friendly countries, bolstering India’s standing as a maritime defence exporter.
The agreement builds on a solid foundation of mutual trust and technology integration established over years of collaboration. Naval Group has substantial experience in submarine architecture, combat management systems, and propulsion technology.
In parallel, MDL adds world-class industrial capability honed through indigenization and technology transfer techniques developed during previous P75 projects. Together, the two companies provide an appealing combination of French design expertise and Indian manufacturing prowess, catering to countries seeking advanced yet cost-effective underwater platforms.
According to Marie-Laure Bourgeois, Executive Vice President at Naval Group, the renewed agreement underlines the partners’ strong industrial and strategic connection.
She emphasized the technological synergy and joint commitment to boosting India’s naval capabilities and worldwide position in defense manufacture. Commodore S. B. Jamgaonkar (Retd), Director of Submarines at MDL, reiterated this perspective, citing the MoU as a key step towards India becoming a global submarine centre of excellence.
The enlarged agreement is also in line with national initiatives such as the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission and the “Make in India” initiative, both of which aim to boost domestic defence manufacturing while extending export possibilities.
MDL and Naval Group, by designing, developing, and potentially servicing submarines for other allied nations, will contribute to India’s self-sustaining naval industrial ecosystem.
This initiative also fits smoothly into the Indo-French Horizon 2047 program, which promises increased bilateral cooperation in military, marine security, and advanced technology over the next two decades.
The program emphasizes the strategic depth of Indo-French relations and highlights how defense-industrial alliances may develop into important cornerstones of economic and diplomatic cooperation.
