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| Japanese Soryu class Submarine |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi and Paul Kallender-Umezu
NEW DELHI and TOKYO — Japan has shown little interest in competing its Soryu-class submarines in the Indian Navy's $12 billion tender for six conventional air independent propulsion (AIP) subs, an Indian Defence Ministry source said.
Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar asked his counterpart, Gen Nakatani, during their March 30-31 meeting in Tokyo, to offer the Soryu but the Japanese side remained "non committal," the MoD source added.
Indian Navy officials and submarine experts are also divided about whether the Soryu class could serve Indian Navy requirements.
"To make a comparison with German 214 or Scorpene, the Soryu-class is considerably larger than either the Type 214, Scorpene or even the Russian improved Kilo, and can carry a much heavier weapons load," said Probal Ghosh, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. "They are seemingly quieter and longer-ranged than the other boats on the market. Cost-wise it is comparable to the other subs. But the designed life of Japanese subs is only 20 years, which is much less than what the other subs are designed for."
Some officials also wondered whether the Soryu can fire Indian-made missiles.
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