Secret data on Scorpene submarines leaked, Navy initiates probe

Separately, India on Thursday said that it sees no immediate security risk from the leak to an Australian newspaper of secret documents detailing the capability of a French-designed Scorpene submarine being built for its navy.

French shipbuilder DCNS designed the submarines in a $3.5-billion deal with India. What I can tell you is that the French Authorities are taking the matter very seriously and working very seriously with DCNS and we are trying to assess the extent, the nature and the sensitivity of information that may have been leaked.

Meanwhile, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has asked the Indian Navy to bring a report on the probe into the leak within one month, according to a senior official with the Indian Ministry of Defense. Ship maker DCNS has a almost $38-billion contract with Australia, but the leak has no mention of the 12 vessels being designed for Australia. “It’s part of the tools in economic war”, a spokesman said.

The Australian reported that the massive data leak of 22,400 pages on the secret stealth capabilities of the Indian navy’s new submarines marked “Restricted Scorpene India” also included information on the submarine’s underwater sensors, above-water sensors, combat management system, torpedo launch system, and communications and navigation systems.

MDL is scheduled to deliver the first of the six submarines to the Indian Navy early next year and the remaining are likely to be delivered by 2020.

The leak has hit the Indian Navy hard, which had commissioned the French Scorpene submarine barely a few months back.

The first of the India’s Scorpenes, Kalvari, is now undergoing sea trials and is scheduled to be commissioned in October this year.

The leak has raised doubts about the security of a separate DCNS submarine project in Australia where it is locked in exclusive negotiations after seeing off rivals for a A$50 billion ($38 billion) contract to build the Barracuda next generation of submarines.

“I understand there has been a case of hacking”, Parrikar told reporters.

While a preliminary report from Navy is expected soon, industry and naval sources suggested that the leak may be a result of a corporate feud.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull sought to play down the impact of the leak, saying in Canberra that while it was “of concern”, the Scorpene was a different model from the subs Australia is buying.