A day after media reports emerged that a sensitive data on DCNS-manufactured Scorpene, which is going to be part of the Indian Navy's submarine fleet, was leaked, India has sought to downplay the matter by saying that the leaked documents do not compromise India's security.
A statement issued by the Indian Navy reads, "The documents that have been posted on the website by an Australian news agency have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out."
A high level committee constituted by the India's Ministry of Defense is undertaking a detailed assessment of the potential impact over ongoing USD 3.5 billion Scorpene submarine projects. The first of the Scorpene class submarines being built in India, the INS Kalvari, took part in sea trials in May and is expected to be inducted soon in the Indian Navy.
Without directly indicting France, India has raised the issue of the data leak with the director general of armament of the French government expressing concern over this incident. "India has requested the French government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side," the Indian Navy’s statement read.
The Indian Navy has promised to take all necessary steps to mitigate any probable security compromise on India's highly ambitious project.
The 22,400 pages of data seen by The Australian contain the key secret stealth capabilities of the Indian submarines. Some information included what frequencies the submarines gather intelligence at, the levels of noise they make at various speeds, their diving depths, range and endurance, where on the submarine the crew can speak safely to avoid detection by the enemy, magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red data, and the specifications of the submarine’s torpedo launch system and combat system, the speed and conditions needed for using the periscope, noise specifications of the propeller and radiated noise levels that occur when the submarine surfaces.
