India and the UK are “very soon” poised to sign an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) aimed at developing maritime electric propulsion systems for four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) for the Indian Navy, British officials said Wednesday. They also indicated that a second inter-governmental agreement between the countries is set to be inked soon for the procurement of British Lightweight Multirole Missiles (LMMs) for the Indian Army.
Key Developments
Responding to a question from The Indian Express, a top British official stated that the IGA for the maritime electric propulsion system for four LPDs will be signed “very shortly.” As part of the collaboration, GE Vernova and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd will establish India’s first maritime Land-Based Testing Facility to support the development of the Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP) system.
Currently, Indian warships do not have electric propulsion systems and are powered by diesel engines, gas turbines, or steam turbines. In contrast, the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers of the UK Royal Navy utilize integrated full electric propulsion.
The electric propulsion capability is intended to power larger warships of the Indian Navy, with a displacement of over 6,000 tonnes, and will first be tested on Landing Platform Docks. A joint statement issued by both countries in November last year highlighted the intent to finalize the IGA for maritime electric propulsion systems.
