New Delhi: India and the UK are set to sign an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) for the development of Integrated Full Electric Propulsion (IFEP) technology to power four Landing Platform Docks (LPDs) to be built for the Indian Navy, British officials said.
The agreement, expected to be signed soon, will mark a significant step in India’s efforts to develop an indigenous electric propulsion technology for large naval platforms. The four LPDs, which are planned to be built at an Indian shipyard, are envisaged to have a full-electric propulsion architecture.
The UK officials said that British firm GE Vernova will be part of the programme. It has partnered with the state-run Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to establish India’s first maritime land-based testing facility for IFEP technology.
The facility will allow the integrated propulsion architecture to be developed and tested on land before it is incorporated into naval platforms.
The IFEP represents more than a change in the way a ship is propelled. Under an integrated electric architecture, electricity generated by the ship’s power-generation system can be distributed across propulsion and other major electrical loads.
This gives Naval designers greater flexibility in managing power and allows future warships to accommodate more of the increasingly hi-tech but power consuming sensors, electronic warfare systems, and other advanced equipment.
The proposed IGA follows a Statement of Intent on Cooperation on Design and Development of Electric Propulsion Systems for the Indian Navy, signed by India and the UK in Portsmouth on 28 November 2024.
The Statement of Intent was signed during the third meeting of the Joint Working Group on Electric Propulsion Capability Partnership and provided a framework for cooperation in the co-design, co-creation and co-production of electric-propulsion capabilities for future Indian naval ships.
British officials had earlier indicated that the UK would draw upon its own experience in developing increasingly sophisticated electric-propulsion architectures while working with India.
In a post on X in December 2024, the British High Commission’s Defence Department had said that the cooperation would draw lessons from Britain’s progression from Type 23 frigates to the Landing Platform Dock, Type 45 destroyers, Landing Ship Docks, and ultimately the Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers.
The arrangement also reflects a broader shift in the India-UK defence relationship from conventional equipment sales towards technology cooperation, industrial partnerships and co-development.
For the UK, India is a major potential market for naval propulsion technologies as the Indian Navy expands and modernises its fleet. The plan is to be a 200-ship strong force by 2047 and, hence, a huge market for both GE Vernova and Rolls Royce.
The partnership offers India access to British experience in electric propulsion while retaining the larger objective of developing the capability within its own shipbuilding and engineering ecosystem.
(Edited by Tony Rai)