India’s Submarine Shortage: After the terror attack in Pahalgam, the situation between India and Pakistan has become more tense. Both countries are showing off their military power. Pakistan recently showed pictures of its JF-17 Block III fighter jets, which they got from China. These jets can fire long-range missiles and are a part of Pakistan’s message that it is ready for any conflict. In reply, India fired missiles from its warships in the Arabian Sea to show it too is fully prepared.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a green signal to the military to choose how, when and where to respond to the Pahalgam attack. He met the Defence Minister, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the three service chiefs on April 29 and told them the military has full freedom to act. This has made many people think that a strong action across the border might happen soon.
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While India is working to improve all parts of its military land, air and sea there is concern about the Indian Navy’s submarine strength. Even though India is happy about getting new Rafale Marine fighter jets for its aircraft carriers, experts feel the navy’s underwater power is still too weak to face serious threats.
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India has 17 regular submarines and three nuclear-powered ones. But many of these submarines are old over 30 years in service. Some are being repaired, so they can’t be used right away. Navy insiders say that nine of the regular submarines will last less than 10 more years, and five of them will be retired before 2031, reports India Today.
India also hasn’t signed any new deals to get regular submarines in the past 20 years. The first and last contract was back in 2005 when the Scorpene submarines deal was signed.
Making new submarines takes time. There are too many steps and delays in how the government handles defence deals. This slows down the whole process and makes it hard for the navy to get new submarines quickly.
One such example is the ₹36,000 crore deal that was supposed to be signed between Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited and the French company Naval Group. This was meant to add three more Scorpene submarines. Prime Minister Modi had announced it during his visit to France in July 2023, but the deal didn’t get approved before the financial year ended in March 2025.
India already has six Scorpene submarines. The newest one, INS Vagsheer, was given to the navy in January this year. The three new Scorpene submarines, if approved, will use more Indian-made parts up to 60%. They will also be slightly bigger and perform better. They are planned to include upgraded systems like Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP), which will be developed by DRDO. Many parts will also be made by Indian companies.
Right now, India’s plan to get more submarines depends on two main projects three extra Scorpene submarines and six more under Project 75-India (P-75I). Officials say the three Scorpene submarines could be made quickly once the contract is signed. The other six under P-75I will take longer and will be added step by step.
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Meanwhile, Pakistan is making fast progress in building its navy. China recently gave Pakistan its second Hangor-class submarine, which has modern technology and weapons. This is part of an eight-submarine deal worth about $5 billion.
Pakistan is expected to receive all eight submarines within the next 10 years. Experts believe this could give Pakistan an edge over India under the sea. China has also already supplied four modern frigates to Pakistan and is helping them build the Gwadar port in Balochistan, which is part of its wider plan to increase its own presence in the Arabian Sea.
China now has the largest navy in the world, and it keeps growing. China’s submarine fleet is expected to reach 65 this year and go up to 80 by 2035. On the other hand, India’s most important submarine program, the ₹43,000 crore P-75I project, is still facing delays. Under this plan, India wants to make six advanced submarines with better sensors, weapons, and AIP tech, through a joint venture. In January, Mazagon Dock and Germany’s ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems cleared the technical test by the defence ministry, but no contract has been signed yet.
Financial Issues
India’s defence budget for 2025-26 is ₹6.81 lakh crore, which is 13.45 percent of the total budget. But experts say this is not enough. They feel that India should spend at least 2.5 percent of its GDP on defence to meet today’s security needs. Right now, the spending is only around 1.9% India faces many challenges tensions at the borders, rising cyber threats and the need to make more weapons inside the country. Experts say the current budget does not match these growing needs.
Even though the government sets aside money for defence, the Ministry of Defence often fails to use all of it. For example, this February, it returned ₹12,500 crore from the 2024-25 budget because it couldn’t spend it on time. This unspent amount was meant for buying new equipment.
The big reason behind this is the slow and complex way India buys defence gear. The rules take too long and the approvals move slowly. If these systems become faster and simpler, the defence ministry can make better use of its money.
