Defence Make In India: Adani Group Places Last Minute Surprise Bid for Rs 45,000 Crore Conventional Submarine Contract

In a move likely to have caught other contenders off-guard, Adani Group has placed a last minute bid for what will at present be the largest Defence Make In India Project – the Rs 45,000 crore contract to build conventional submarines for the Indian Navy, reports The Economic Times.

Now the company will be up against the likes of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), Mazagaon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and Reliance Naval and Engineering Ltd. The major difference between these companies and the Adani Group is that the latter does not currently own a shipyard.

This latest bid makes Adani Group a contender in all three major defence procurement contracts of the government, with the other two relating to naval helicopters and future fighter jets respectively.

The bids will be evaluated by the central government over the next two months, and simultaneously a process will also take place to choose the foreign partners for the contract. The final tender for the submarine contract can be expected to be given to one of the companies by the end of this year.