Vice Admiral G.S. Pabby, AVSM, VSM, Controller of Warship Production & Acquisition (CWP&A), Indian Navy, said this is the right time for India to take a major step towards building submarines indigenously by forging a strategic partnership with the Indian industry. Speaking at a function organised by FICCI announcing an international seminar on ‘Current and Future Challenges in Design and Construction of Underwater Vehicles’ on November 22, 2016, he urged the leading industry houses to grab the opportunity to strengthen Indian Navy and added that there is a plethora of design and development opportunities available to the private sector in manufacturing of Navy equipment for the future.

Vice Admiral Pabby said that Indian Navy took a visionary step in 1986 to establish in-house submarine design capability and the proposed seminar coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Directorate of Naval Design (Submarine Design Group).

Rear Admiral C.S. Rao, NM, DGND (SDG), Indian Navy, presented the scope of the upcoming seminar which aims to deliberate on unique challenges and complexities of submarine design and construction with the aim to achieve national competence in submarine design and construction through industrial partnership.

The objective of the international seminar is to emphasise the design capabilities of the Indian Navy and other design agencies and to handhold Indian industry to make the best of the capabilities and how to focus on the future requirements. India needs to encourage innovations in design to enhance its scientific capabilities which can later be transferred to industries for commercialisation of defence technologies.