DCNS India delivers Mazagon Dock Limited the first locally produced Scorpene submarine equipment

Posted by- Neelam Mathews

Feb 28, 2012

The shipyard Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) has received the first Indian made equipment for the Scorpene submarines programme (P75). MDL has congratulated this successful industrial performance during the recently held Government to Government (G2G) meeting between India and France.

MDL is producing six SSK Scorpene submarines (P75) under transfer of technology (ToT) from DCNS. Simultaneously, DCNS India, DCNS Group’s subsidiary in India, is working at the selection and qualification of Indian companies as partners for local production of the Scorpenes’ equipment.

In June 2011, DCNS India signed a contract with Flash Forge India Pvt. Ltd. under the Scorpene submarines programme (P75). “We are providing our Indian partners with know-how and technical assistance to manufacture equipments which will be installed onboard the Scorpenes. Together with MDL, we are qualifying the suitable companies which are meeting the rigorous specifications needed for the submarines”, said Bernard Buisson, Managing Director of DCNS India.

The Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) for the first locally made Scorpenes’ equipment (for the large scale piping system) was successfully performed at Flash Forge premises in Vishakapatnam in January 2012.

The success of the manufacture and delivery of this first indigenisation contract with Flash Forge India Pvt. Ltd. is the culmination of a long and stringent process, involving:

·         Preliminary audits of the manufacturing and quality processes, performed by experts from DCNS France;

·         Certification of the prototypes to three different laboratories, including a DCNS laboratory for Naval Material and Structures, in order to validate the good manufacturing of the equipment;

·         Frequent interactions between Flash Forge and DCNS teams during the manufacturing process.

This delivery is especially significant since the quality of each equipment onboard submarines contribute to the overall safety of the crew on board and of the ship performance. Flash Forge has already proven experiences in forgings and pipe fittings with MDL and other Indian shipyards. Today, through the participation in the P75 Scorpene submarines, higher standards of qualifications have been achieved.