India's Warship Challenge: L&T Urges Faster Procurement, Private Sector Role and Bulk Orders to Outpace China

At this year's NDTV Defence Summit, a stark call echoed across the industry: India must dramatically accelerate its warship building capabilities to stay relevant in an increasingly complex maritime security environment.

Arun Ramchandani, Executive Vice-President of L&T Defence, painted a picture of a crucial gap widening between India and its primary regional competitor, China.

India's Challenge: Time, Technology, and Ecosystem​

Ramchandani's message was clear – India's shipbuilding turnaround times are significantly slower than China's, a disparity that cannot remain unaddressed.

Modernization lies at the heart of this solution, including adopting cutting-edge technologies alongside streamlining processes and fostering a stronger shipbuilding ecosystem – all focused specifically on speed and efficiency.

This ecosystem, vital for building complex warships, needs everything from highly skilled labor to advanced infrastructure and seamless supply chains. Enhancing and expediting all such elements remains key to bolstering India's naval prowess.

Procurement, Partnerships, and Matching China's Pace​

Within this equation, L&T's executive stresses that the Indian Navy must overhaul its procurement process and work more closely with private shipyards.

Defence analyst Ranesh Rajan adds weight to this perspective, citing India's approximately 7-year timelines for frontline warships compared to China's significantly shorter timelines.

China's efficiency is staggering; Type 055 and Type 052D class vessels often move from launch to commissioning in a mere 3 and 2 years, respectively. Rajan implores India to emulate China's mass-ordering strategy, focusing on standardized platforms with minimal modifications.

This continuity streamlines construction, cuts costs, and enhances the fleet's operational readiness.

Benefits of Bulk Orders and Standardization​

This proposed shift isn't just about copying China's playbook; it aligns with broader principles supported by many defence analysts. Bulk orders mean consistent work for shipyards, allowing them to optimize resources and production lines.

Standardized ship designs further accelerate building and create efficiency within maintenance and supply chains.

The Way Forward​

L&T's message, amplified by Rajan and others, reveals a path India could take.

Change won't be easy: it requires rethinking procurement, building stronger public-private partnerships, and embracing advanced construction methods like modular shipbuilding for greater efficiency.

Yet, the payoff is a modernized Indian Navy, better equipped to meet the strategic challenges of a dynamic maritime environment.

 

[Akshat]

I attack DPSU all the time

Indian private companies like Adani Ambani Tata Mahindra Lt... Only love screw driving.
Adani Ambani Tata can develop P75I or passenger aircraft but no

Small new private companies in turkey is doing that... Developing weapons on their own..

You are an idiot. Don't reply to me Pls.

Oh l&T is dying to get its hands on such projects. Its chief openly said on stage that open up the tenders to us and watch the results. Look at how they are working on the armored vehicles. Working on light tank, and FICV. And it all started with screw driving of Vajra. So you are the idiot who thinks screw driving is bad and just because these companies have money they will go ahead and waste it around like the DPSUs do.

The first step has to be screw driving, from where they understand the manufacturing process and also get revenue streams to reinvest in bigger projects. But you won’t understand the concept of fiduciary responsibility as your ideals are failed nations like Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Hitler’s Germany and USSR.

 

[Akshat]

No one stopping private companies to do with R&D and field a final product. L&T says it design a midget submarine. Why won't they build a prototype and give IN for testing. MDL is doing that. Please explain why India's LPD project was doomed.. Even for FSV an open tender was issued. Why L&T won't came up?

MDL is doing that with public money. Where is the public money for L&T? Where are the funds for R&D?

 

[Akshat]

If they doesn't believe that they can do it and can meet the requirements of defense forces.. then they should not shout.. What do you think DPSU and DRDO is walking on bed of roses..?? Each and every steps they were criticize... the sword of Cancelation of project always hanging on there head.

They are not just walking on a bed of roses but are also being showered with more roses. They get full state backing and unlimited funds and time. They get state guarantee that even if their product can be used and is of 20 year old specs, they will get orders even at super inflated prices. Even if they build a screw for a million dollars each they will get orders. Look at how MoD forced army to buy new trucks and reduce order size just so that ATAGS can be purchased.

 

[Frank]

Oh yeah? L&T making FICV on its own, Tata working on manned aircrafts and MALE drone and vertical lift drone etc. are screw driving according to your tiny brain?

LT developing FICV??? WHEN??

Tata working on manned aircrafts ?? 296 SCREW DRIVING??

MALE drone?? which one??? give name...

OH WELLL I HAVE TO BLOCK LYING FRENCH D A L L A AGAN...

 

[The_rED_dEVIL]

Yes L&T should be involved.

India needs lots of shipyards.

We need more shipyards capable of building capital ships Destroyers and Diesel Submarines. Maybe add GRSE for Destroyers and L&T for Subs.

In fact they need to increase the number of ships built simultaneously.

 

[Sandeep]

India has already started to use modular construction to build our naval vessels and we have improved our construction time as the manufacturing time for our naval ships have reduced. There is still a lot more to be done but the problem is that we need to change our working practice and increase the use of automation and modern technology to cut down costs and time. Another issue is that we need to increase the number of hours that staff work per day and employ a day and night shift so that work carries on 24/7 which will cut down on manufacturing timeline which will allow more orders to be placed.

One crucial problem that India has is that we are not manufacturing enough civil ships for foreign countries as China has started much earlier and can do it at a much cheaper price. We need to start constructing large cargo ships, cruise line, oil or gas tankers, coal shipments. But the west have to move away from giving China orders and move that investment towards India as it's towards their own benefit as well.

 

[Siddharth Asthana]

All, just wait for 2024 elections, the DPSUs are going to get a massive k!cK to compete.

Regarding tech, IN is the best among forces that favours indigenisation...the problem is the DPSUs have no incentive to innovate due to lack of competition...mark my words...TATA/MAhindra/Reliance/ADANI and L&T are going to fight tooth & nail for future contracts....WHY....bacause its easy money..........the costs and timelines projected by DPSUs are so out of sync that the PVt firms can easily beat the price and still make high returns.

Lstly, in next 5 yrs, we will see ~ 20% pvtization of all these DPSUs, the next govt will be pushing reforms with an iron fist....a million farmers protesting is different from a couple of thousand babus protesting...wait and watch

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

It would've been a perfect replacement for the outgoing Sea Harriers.

Sea harriers are already retired. They were retired way back in 2016 and we don't have any operational Sea Harriers. You dont induct LCA-N to replace capability of a fighter that you have replaced about 8 years back.

 

[Prashu Sam]

AT least someone has guts to point of inefficiencies and demand for improvement. Nowadays (and from comments) you can see how people live in dreamy world that how everything is great and improving without using world standard benchmark. if you look for 10-15% improvements per year it will take 300 years for you to catchup.

Radical change need radical way of thinking and improvements.

Sadly most commentators are in last century and if you point out anything that is not working well. They think it will affect the Govt image and start opposing. Hope people start thinking independently and above political affiliations and think about nation before Party

 

[Rational Guy]

For the nilgiri class frigates, India has also employed modular construction. We had contracted a european shipbiilder to learn about this process. And a lot of the money was spent on infra upgrades at the dock. I believe that as the order numbers for domestic shibyards increases, their shipbuilding prowess will also increase.

One major factor also is that our shipyards need to build mass number of non- defence ships as well such merchant vessels etc. China, south korea have big lead in this regard as well. I have heard of kochin shilyard building large nimber of private ships which is a good sign.

We can take help of SK in increasing our ship building capabilities. Same way we took help of Japanese companies for help in automotive production in the 80s/90s. This is more complex true but can be done

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

We can take help of SK in increasing our ship building capabilities. Same way we took help of Japanese companies for help in automotive production in the 80s/90s. This is more complex true but can be done

yeah, i dont think that will help. Why would SK help in improving our ship building capability as we would compete with them in global market. Right now they are among the world leaders when it comes to building ships. The case of Japan was different in the 80s and 90s. We were buying lots of japanese cars and bikes, and initially we were just assembling. Japanese were making big money by selling the parts to India. I heard somewhere that they were even hesitant to give maruti the gearbox technology.

 

[Akshat]

LT developing FICV??? WHEN??

Tata working on manned aircrafts ?? 296 SCREW DRIVING??

MALE drone?? which one??? give name...

OH WELLL I HAVE TO BLOCK LYING FRENCH D A L L A AGAN...

Army gave funding for FICV last year. Prototype already clicked in spy shots.

Tata got the IPRs of a German plane and is modifying it. Same platform is being used for MALE.

And you can surely block me. At least I won’t have to hear about the grandeur of failed states which you want India to emulate.