Scorpene submarine data leaked, report sought from navy -Governance Now

Scorpene submarine data leaked, report sought from navy

The secret documents are about the $3.5 billion project being handled by French shipbuilder DCNS for the Indian Navy

GN Bureau | August 24, 2016

#French shipbuilder #data leak #Scorpene submarine #Manohar Parrikar #Indian Navy

Scorpene submarine

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar has sought a report from the Indian Navy chief following the leak of secret data on the combat capability of the Scorpene-class submarines.

The classified information of the 3.5-billion-dollar project handled by the French shipbuilder DCNS to build submarines for the Indian Navy, has been accessed and reported by the newspaper The Australian.

‘Restricted Scorpion India’- the 22,400 pages of secret document, which can now be accessed online - has information like the stealth capabilities, frequencies at which submarines gather intelligence, the level of noise the subs make at various speed, diving depth, magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red data and other features.

These submarines are being built at the Mumbai shipyard. The first of the Scorpene class - INS Kalvari, took part in sea trials in May this year and is soon expected to be inducted in the navy.

The Australian reported: “The data on the Scorpene was written in France for India in 2011 and is suspected of being removed from France in that same year by a former French Navy officer who was at that time a DCNS subcontractor. The data is then believed to have been taken to a company in Southeast Asia, possibly to assist in a commercial venture for a regional navy. It is unclear how widely the data has been shared in Asia or whether it has been obtained by foreign intelligence agencies.”

The defence ministry said that the leak took place overseas and not in India. “The available information is being examined at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) and an analysis is being carried out by the concerned specialists,” it said.

The DCNS said it has launched an inquiry “which will determine the precise nature of the documents which have been leaked, the potential damage to our customers as well as those responsible".

Countries like Malaysia, Chile and Brazil are using Scorpene variants. Also, the French company is designing Australia’s submarine fleet worth $50 billion. The leaked document, however, does not contain any information related to the vessels designed for Australia.

Comments

Other News

A right she cannot reach

Last summer, the two of us spent several weeks in rural Madhya Pradesh with a non-profit that works on gender justice through women’s self-help groups. We went in with a notebook full of laws. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act. The Dowry Prohibition Act. Free legal aid for every wo

Tier-2 cities lead India’s digital credit push

Digital payments have become a reflex for urban India, but the confidence earned in paying has not yet carried over to borrowing. That is the central finding of `How Urban India Pays Report 2026`, released by Pahlé India Foundation in collaboration with Amazon Pay. Based on a survey of 5,149 consu

India calls for doubling bilateral trade with UK by 2030

Commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal has called upon businesses in India and the United Kingdom to translate the opportunities created by the India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) into expanded trade, investment, partnerships and job creation. Addressing the Bu

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp