It is affordable to have a Made-in-India nuclear submarine than a foreign one. Here’s how

An internal assessment has found out it is affordable to build an indigenous set of nuclear-powered submarines than getting it constructed with foreign technology.

Presently, India is constructing six Scorpene submarines under a licence agreement from France for Rs 18,000 crore, a deal which was signed in 2005. The price can shoot up if inflation is calculated for the ten year build period.

However, ET has been told that an internal assessment has brought out that the cost of constructing six new nuclear-powered attack submarines, derived from the design and expertise gained from the INS Arihant - India's first nuclear boat - would be close to Rs 35,000 crore.

"According to our calculations, if we are to build six attack submarines based on the existing design of the Arihant, the cost would not exceed Rs 35,000 crore," a source involved in the process told ET.

It is noteworthy Indian Navy will release a tender notice for six more conventional submarines which is likely to cost more than Rs 60,000 crore, called Project 75 I.

“The huge difference in pricing is due to the licence fees charged in the case of the Scorpene and the cost of technology development that would be factored into project 75I from the vendor,” officials told ET.

"In the case of the indigenous nuclear attack submarines, the design is already with us. It has been designed in India and the only cost would be the construction and fitment of weapons," the source said.