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
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

Green cities: A pathway to sustainability

As the world observes Earth Day on April 22, the imperative for sustainable urban development has never been more pressing. Urban areas contribute approximately 70% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (UN-Habitat Report, 2023). In India, the urban population is projected to reach 800 million by 2050 (

A unique way of looking at nature, at people, at life itself

Another Day in Landour: Looking Out from My Window By Ruskin Bond HarperCollins, 220 pages, Rs 399 Landour is a q

‘Better than the entire world’: Here’s the ‘India book’ for ages

The Undying Light: A Personal History of Independent India By Gopalkrishna Gandhi Aleph Books, 624 pages, Rs 999 Vet

Why the youth’s ‘affair’ with stock market is usually tragic

Nine out of 10 individual traders in the equity Futures and Options (F&O) segment have incurred net losses, according to a recent SEBI study. What’s even more striking is that a significant portion of these traders are young individuals – students, early professionals and first-time earners

Why recognizing unpaid work makes sense

Across the globe, unpaid domestic and caregiving work remains an unseen yet essential contributor to economic and social well-being. Women, in particular, dedicate significant hours to household tasks and caregiving, yet this labour remains excluded from Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations, leading t

News broadcast needs to reinvent, innovate: Sudhir Chaudhary

Popular news anchor and veteran journalist Sudhir Chaudhary says the news broadcast industry has not reinvented itself in the last 20 years, leading to news consumption gradually shifting to other platforms. Unlike social media influencers with millions of followers, there are no stars in the news industry

Visionary Talk: Amitabh Gupta, Pune Police Commissioner with Kailashnath Adhikari, MD, Governance Now



Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter