Sensitive data on submarines designed for India’s navy have leaked from a leading French shipbuilder, Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales (DCNS), which has customers around the world.
Analysts say the leak is a blow to India’s navy and could compromise its underwater combat capabilities. India has spent $3.9 billion on six conventionally powered Scorpene submarines which were built by France’s DCNS and were inducted for trial in 2015.
France is trying to assess extent, nature, sensitivity of information that may have been leaked.Alexandre Ziegler, Ambassador of France to India
First step is to identify if its related to us, and anyway it’s not all 100 percent leak.Manohar Parrikar, Defence Minister, India
He added that the details of the final integration was with India and said a clear picture will emerge in a couple of days.
A source close to the company said that the leaked documents about the Scorpene submarines appear to be sensitive but “neither critical nor confidential”.
Congress leader, Randeep Surjewala, demanded complete security audit of Defence Ministry by sitting SC judge after Scorpene submarine project leak.
A statement from the defence ministry said:
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 appears that the source of leak is from overseas and not in India.
DCNS said in a statement that French national security authorities are investigating how many documents were leaked, the level of sensitivity, and the prejudice to the client.
The newspaper,The Australian reported that more than 22,000 pages of documents were leaked, including descriptions of what frequencies the submarines use to gather intelligence, where a crew can speak safely to avoid detection, and specifications of the torpedo launch system. The report says the information was suspected to have been taken in 2011 by a French former DCNS sub-contractor.
DCNS has also sold Scorpenes to Malaysia, Spain and Brazil.
DCNS Calls The Data Leak an “Economic Warfare”
French naval contractor DCNS said on Wednesday it may have been the victim of “economic warfare” after secrets about its Scorpene submarines being built in India were leaked.
Asked if the leak could affect other contracts, a company spokeswoman said it had come against a difficult commercial backdrop and that corporate espionage could be to blame.
Competition is getting tougher and tougher, and all means can be used in this context. There is India, Australia and other prospects, and other countries could raise legitimate questions over DCNS. It’s part of the tools in economic warfare.A Company Spokeswoman
The leak has raised doubts about the security of DCNS’s submarine project in Australia where it is locked in exclusive negotiations after seeing off rivals for a AUD 50 billion (USD $38 billion) contract to build the Barracuda next generation of submarines.
Analysts and Experts Call it a Significant Compromise
The leak seems to “represent a significant compromise”, said Uday Bhaskar, a retired Indian naval commodore and defence analyst.
At a time when India’s underwater capability, its submarine fleet, is in dire need of new platforms, each of these developments is going to delay the full operational induction of the Scorpene to enhance India’s overall national power.Uday Bhaskar
Rahul Bedi, an analyst for the independent Jane’s Information Group, said:
Indian navy’s already depleted submarine fleet is bound to undergo a further setback after this revelation.
The leak also raised questions in Australia, which signed a big-budget deal in April with DCNS for 12 Shortfin Barracuda submarines.
Australian Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne said the leak “has no bearing” on the Australian deal, insisting the contract is covered by “stringent security requirements that govern the manner in which all information and technical data is managed now and into the future.”
But independent Senator of Australia Nick Xenophon said the government “should consider suspending negotiations (on the submarine deal) until it gets to the bottom of this.”
(With agency inputs.)
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