Paris. It was all about new technologies at Euronaval, the world’s premier biennial naval exposition held at the Le Bourget Exposition Centre on the outskirts of the French capital.
India Strategic was there in strength, with four persons including these writers, to see and listen to what the world’s best military industry had to say on meeting global requirements. There were 400 exhibitors from 34 nations in 15,000 sqm of space from Oct 17 to 21. They included shipyards, makers and integrators of weapon systems and EW sensors, and specialists on every aspect of warfare.
The event was well-managed, and facilities for participants, delegates, visitors and media were good.
India, which has an ambitious programme to build new generation of submarines and ships, including a second aircraft carrier over the next 25 years, was of special interest to the participants.
DCNS, which is assisting the Indian Navy in building six Scorpene submarines, gave us a briefing on its next generation of underwater warfare. So did Safran, ECA, Thales, MBDA and many other companies. Security of shore-based assets, cyber and satellite connectivity, manned and unmanned long range patrols by vessels and aircraft, including drones, were the subjects in focus.
France, which has been hit by a series of terror strikes, is obviously laying a lot of emphasis on anti-terror protection, and several French companies were willing to share the expertise they were developing.
Naturally, India was there. So were the Chinese and Pakistanis and Arabs, other European countries and the US with dominating presence from Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Atomics and Honeywell.
General Atomics made presentation on unmanned aircraft. India is in touch with the company for different configurations.
Lockheed Martin showcased its ship-based Aegis Combat System, which has just been introduced with the Australian Navy.
Indian Participation
India had an official delegation led by Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre, who was accompanied by Rear Admiral R Vishwanath, a specialist Marcos Commando officer who is a graduate of the RCDS in UK.
CMD of Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL) Rear Admiral (Retd) Shekhar Mital was also at the show viewing MCMV equipment with his staff. Mr Bhamre was taken to Toulon to visit the military harbour on the Mediterranean Sea which is home to the Mediterranean Fleet with the latest FREMM frigates and six nuclear SSK submarines of France of the Rubis class (Rubis, Saphir, Casablanca, Emeraude, Amethyste and Perle). These are armed with F-17 torpedoes and SM-39 Exocet anti-ship missiles and equipped with a multifunction sonar, a very low frequency towed sonar, a radar detector Arur-13 and a satellite communications system.
Vice Admiral Charles Henri De Chu is the Commander of the French Forces in the Mediterranean.
India’s BrahMos
India’s BrahMos Aerospace put up an impressive display of the world’s only supersonic missile made by it with Russian collaboration. The India Strategic stand was located next to it, and the Russian Rosoboronexport, opposite it.
Many delegations visited the large BrahMos stand, as its presence indicated that India and Russia together had some intent to sell it to friendly countries. Details were not available.
Nonetheless, half a dozen Chinese navy officials took interest in the BrahMos and were seen taking pictures of the missile models from all angles.
BrahMos has proved to be a One-Shot-Kill missile with no protection to an enemy, and is already in service with the Indian Navy and Army. The Indian Air Force is just about to induct its slimmer version on its Su-30 MKI aircraft.
News broke at Euronaval that the Indian Navy had commissioned its first home built nuclear strike submarine INS Arihant. This evinced discussions on Arihant capabilities and of its K-15/B-05 nuclear tipped missiles.
There are indications that if India acquires a second nuclear propelled submarine from Russia, it will be armed with the BrahMos. In fact, a model of such an Amur class boat was displayed at the BrahMos stand. An updated version of the missile could also be fitted on the new line of Project 75 (I) submarines that the Indian Navy is seeking.
Authoritative sources however have told India Strategic that while discussions between the two countries are on, there is no decision yet.
MKU, Private Indian Player
The presence of one private Indian company, MKU, is worth mention. A world leader in protective armour and bullet proof vests, it has a partner in Germany and its stand was located near the German pavilion. Notably, MKU has been voted the largest private defence export company in 2014-15.
No major orders were reported at this edition of Euronaval, but the organisers stated that the turnover in monetary terms towards upgrades, refits and new offerings of technology and weapons for ships and submarines, helicopters, UAVs and UUVs registered well.
Many nations which were buyers earlier like India, Brazil, Singapore, UAE, Pakistan and Australia, have also become ship builders, impacting in reduced orders for European companies, and economies.
Submarines
The consensus, however, was that Asia was leading the way, and both China and India increasing their maritime strength while Pakistan was leasing its security to China by giving it the Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea and also military facilities in the Himalayas. Due to China’s claims of most of the strategic South China Sea, resulting in tension with nearly all its neighbours, the buildup of underwater fleets is projected to be high in the Pacific region.
Euronaval showed that orders for submarines the world over are up with several countries building or buying underwater assets. There are new operators like Vietnam (6 Russian Kilos), Bangladesh (2 from China), Indonesia (2 South Korean Daewoo Boats) and France (6 Barracuda SSNs), Japan (Soryus), India (6 Scorpenes, 3 SSBNs and plus), Australia (12 Scorpenes) and Pakistan (8 Chinese). Submarine equipment stalls saw many visitors engaged in meetings.
The exhibition was opened on October 18 by French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who had earlier on September 23 signed the nearly Euro 8 billion contract with Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to supply 36 Rafale Dassault fighters in New Delhi.
Le Drian, a political heavyweight who could be the next French Prime Minister, prefaced his three hour tour of the show with award of trophies for “Drones, Robotics and Autonomous systems”, to ECA and for “Conceptships” to VOITH TURBO, as the vessel of the future for its Linear Jet engine. With a short speech, he emphasised, “I do not have to remind you how important the sea is in the 21st century”.
Le Drian also unveiled a new economical intermediate sized Frigate called FTI, designed by the French DGA. Five FTIs will be delivered to the French Navy by 2023 for Euro 3.2 billion by DCNS which has an ongoing six 2,000-tonne Scorpene submarines project for $5.1 billion for the Indian Navy at Mazagon Dock and Shipyard Ltd (MDSL).
Brazil’s Odebrecht is also building four Scorpene submarines for $3.95 billion to be delivered by 2020. Three years later, in 2023, Brazil is slated to build its first nuclear submarine under the SNAC-2 nuclear-powered submarine programme.
Elcome Marine
Airbus Defence which has bought out Carl Ziess from Cassidian announced that it will jointly build submarine periscopes in Nhava Shava with the Mumbai-based Elcome Marine under the Make in India programme.
Atlas Elektronik, supplier for maritime technology, which had upgraded the Indian Navy’s HDW-1500 submarines with fire controls and Carl Zeiss periscopes, showcased its wide spectrum of products, innovations and capabilities and displayed the Sea Spider and Actas towed sonars it has supplied for the Type 15 warships.
Chinese designs
China, which specialises in reverse engineering and copies designs while developing manufacturing skills, has been aggressive in the global market. It bought the tri-maran design of a private luxury swath technology boat from Australia’s INCAT, a shipbuilder and designer from Tasmania for civil use, but converted it in to the impressive high speed Hobbei missile boats.
Engine Makers
Engine suppliers to Indian Navy and others, like MAN, Rolls-Royce with Kamewa/MTU and MJB water jet makers, were there at the show.
So were Israeli majors like Elbit, Elta and IAI and Rafael Advanced Defence Systems which is India’s collaborator for the successful Barak 8 LR with DRDO for India’s medium range and long range SAMs for the Indian Navy and Air Force.
Items of Indian Interest:
• French Defence Conseil International (DCI) that handles training for navies explained how the French and Indian retired submariners were executing the first Indian Scorpene submarine trials off Mumbai. The first submarine, INS Kalvari, is due for commissioning around December.
• GICAN, the Flagship for French Marine industries, arranged meetings and a conference on Secure Seas during one afternoon and spoke on renewable energies.
• The Mistral LPD at DCNS stall drew a lot of visitors and India is due to open the bids for 4 LPDs turned in by Indian Shipyards with DCNS and Navantia.
• Many shipbuilders displayed lighter integrated masts and all round bridges which use more and more fireproof composites and is being used in newer designs.
• Remote controlled guns were on show and BAE showed its naval systems and 127 mm gun, as fiber optic gyros overtake ring laser gyros and merge with GPS receivers.
• L3 showed Riva Calzoni Masts on contract for India’s Kilo submarines in arbitration.
• RIBs by Zodiac Aerospace which can be launched from a Scorpene and accommodate six.
Nuclear
Customer requirements, close matching of power outputs for various ship types, compact and low weight design and life cycle costing (LCC) seemed the key selection criteria for typical operating profiles of navies and hence selection of new potential propulsion configurations from Gas Turbines to CODOG, Electric, Water jets and the ultimate Nuclear.
AREVA of France, which has provided the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and submarines with nuclear reactors, showed a cut-away of a reactor but did not allow discussions with non-uniformed visitors.
Overall EURONAVAL 2016 was a professional naval exhibition where one gets educated in modern naval technologies and systems and it is laced with French hospitality as wines, beer and refreshments are offered in routine during business development meetings.
