Context: The strategically important Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) crucial for diesel electric submarines, being developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), achieved a key milestone by undergoing further land-based tests in tune with requirements of the Indian Navy. The Ministry said the technology has reached ‘maturity’ to be fitted on submarines.

Details:

• The system is being developed by DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), located at Ambernath in Thane district of Maharashtra.
• Indian Navy has both conventional and nuclear submarines in its arsenal. The fleet of conventional submarines use diesel-electric engines, which require them to surface almost daily to get atmospheric oxygen for fuel combustion.
• With the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system on board, these submarines will be required to surface much less frequently, thus increasing their lethality and stealth multifold.
• While nuclear-powered submarines are considered as key assets for deep sea operations, the conventional diesel electric ones are vital for coastal defence and operations close to the shore.
• The project aims at fitting the technology on India’s Scorpene class submarine INS Kalvari around 2023.
• The technology has been successfully developed with the support of industry partners L&T and Thermax.

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/strategically-important-air-independent-propulsion-tech-for-navy-submarines-achieves-milestone-mod-7221496/

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