Nearly Rs 5,000 crore defence deal signed to buy modern torpedo for Scorpene submarines, carbines for troops

New Delhi: Nearly seven years after the first boat was inducted, Indian Navy’s latest Kalvari class submarines are set to receive the heavy weight black shark torpedoes with the Defence Ministry signing a Rs 1,900 crore deal on Tuesday with its Italian manufacturer.

“The contract for the procurement and integration of 48 heavyweight torpedoes along with associated equipment for Kalvari class submarines (P-75) at an approximate cost of Rs 1,896 crore was signed with WASS Submarine Systems Italy,” the Defence Ministry said in a statement. The torpedoes will be delivered between April 2028 and early 2030.

With these weapons having significant operational capabilities and advanced technological features, the acquisition will enhance the combat capability of the six Kalvari (Scorpene) class submarines that were manufactured by Mazagaon Dock Ltd with French technology.

The Black Shark torpedoes were victims of the AgustaWestland scam as the Defence Ministry in 2016 scrapped a Rs 1,800 crore deal to buy 98 torpedoes because the manufacturer Whitehead Alenia Sistemi Subacquei was a subsidiary of the Finmeccanica (renamed as Leonardo) that made the VVIP helicopters.

The 63 mt long, fully stealth, wire guided and self-homing torpedo can be integrated with any types of torpedo tubes. In the absence of such modern weapons, the navy was relying on upgraded legacy systems that were acquired for older generation submarines.

The Black Shark deal is one of the two contracts worth Rs 4,666 crore that the Defence Ministry inked along with a deal with Bharat Forge and PLR Systems for the procurement of Close Quarter Battle carbines for the army and navy. The contracts were inked in the presence of Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh.

The CQB carbine deal is to buy over 4.25 lakh guns along with accessories, worth Rs 2,770 crore, for the Indian Army and the Indian Navy.

This include a Rs 1,662 crore contract awarded to Bharat Forge Limited for supply of 255,128 CQB carbines (5.56 x 45 mm) to the army within five years, according to a company statement, while another company, PLR Systems Pvt Ltd – a joint venture between Adani Defence Systems and Israel Weapon Industries - will supply nearly 1.7 lakh carbines.

As a cornerstone of the modern infantry arsenal, the CQB carbine provides a critical edge in close combat through its compact design and high rate of fire, ensuring rapid, decisive lethality in confined spaces. While the formalities were completed today, the carbine contract was secured in October and the weapons are likely to be inducted from Sept 2026 onward.

In 2025-26, Defence Ministry signed capital contracts worth Rs 1,82,492 crore for modernisation of the armed forces.