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Indian Navy ‘Prioritizes’ Electric Propulsion For Large Warships Before Nuke Propulsion For Aircraft Carriers

The Indian and UK Defense Ministries signed a Statement of Intent (SoI) on November 28 in Portsmouth regarding Cooperation on the Design and development of Integrated Electric Propulsion (IEP) Systems.

According to an Indian MoD press release, “The SoI would serve as a broader framework intended for cooperation in the co-design, co-creation, and co-production of Electric Propulsion capability for future naval ships. The Landing Platform Docks, planned to be built at an Indian Shipyard, are envisaged to have a Full Electric Propulsion System.”

IEP has been described as the “direction of future naval propulsion” for surface ships.

Several nations have deployed IEP warships. These include the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers and Queen Elizabeth-class Aircraft Carriers, the US Navy’s Zumwalt-class Destroyers and America-class Amphibious Assault Ships, China’s Type 055 Destroyers, and the French Navy’s Horizon-class Frigates and Mistral-class Amphibious Assault Ships.

Most current-generation Indian warships use traditional propulsion systems, such as gas turbines, diesel engines, or combined gas turbine and diesel engines.




Ministries of Defence of India and UK in Portsmouth on November 28, 2024. Credits PIB.

The Indian Navy’s indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant uses a diesel-electric IEP system for propulsion, while the Visakhapatnam-class (P-15B) stealth destroyers employ hybrid propulsion systems.

However, the propulsion systems fitted on the above ships were imported.

The Indian Navy is keen to use indigenously built IEP for its next-generation warships because IEP offers better stealth due to significant noise reduction, increased maneuverability, lower fuel consumption, higher speed, and reduced environmental risks.

In 2019, it was reported that the Indian Navy had set up a 5 MW electric propulsion system from Siemens of Germany at the onshore training establishment INS Valsura at Jamnagar in Gujarat to train naval engineers to operate electric-drive ships.

British Collaboration

In October 2019, the UK offered India IEP systems under the Make-in-India program.

In November 2019, the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Defender made a port call at Mormugao Port Trust in Goa. It was reported that at least 15 officers from the Indian Navy visited HMS Defender and interacted with officials from the foreign defense manufacturers who were present on the vessel.

In April 2022, Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) and GE Power Conversion signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to assist BHEL in developing an IEP System to power Indian Navy warships.

France-based GE Power Conversion is a world leader in electric propulsion. Its equipment is installed on some of the latest US Navy and Royal Navy platforms, including the Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers.

A British-French consortium has reportedly offered India an IEP based on Rolls-Royce gas turbines, GE Energy alternators, and Rolls-Royce propellers. The alliance between GE Power Conversion and BHEL is expected to build the alternator in India.

Electric Propulsion

Warships are increasingly equipped with IEPs instead of traditional gas turbines because IEP offers several key advantages. These include:

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