Two new 12PA4 200 SMDS engines for the Indian Navy entered the order book of MAN ES France last summer. The signing of a new contract with the Indian shipyard Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited, as part of the P75 Scorpene India program is very good news for the Marine business.

Officially signed on August 7, 2024, it follows the collaboration dating back to 2009 with the same customer, for 12 engine-generators for six Scorpene submarines of the Indian Navy. "Military navies rarely go so far in their strategic stock of RGP (Spare Large Provident Insurance) and generally only acquire critical components with a very long lead time to limit the consequences of damage," explains Yann Tanguy. "But in this case, our customer had been wanting for several years to have two complete spare units in the event of a breakdown or sudden damage. He finally decided to order two engines without the alternators, a rather exceptional effort on the part of a military Navy," explains the head of the Marine activity.

The MAN ES France asset: product quality and customer support

Numerous exchanges and calls for tenders have been necessary since 2020, before leading to the full signature last summer. The two engines, one port and one starboard, should be delivered "within two and a half years", estimates Yann Tanguy. It is the operational need that motivated this order, but also the technical specificity of the PA4 SMDS engine, as well as the quality of the service. "We never let our partners down, even after the engines are delivered. The Indians saw, during the execution of the first contract, that we were always present in after-sales service, that we put all our energy into understanding sometimes complex phenomena, even if they were not our fault, and to solving technical problems," says Yann Tanguy. The robustness of the engines is also highly appreciated, especially when they have to operate in sensitive environments, such as when the submarine is submerged. The 12 engines delivered since 2011 were able to fully convince the Indian customer. "We had obtained this first contract because we were already offering a unique concept of double supercharging that would allow us to achieve high power, even in very severe operational mode."

Submarines: a promising market

"For us, this new order is very important because we have just completed our last submarine contracts. With Scorpène B&D Spare, we have work to do over three years," says Yann Tanguy. This is all the more encouraging as the submarine market is becoming very buoyant, with the global fleet ageing (the average age of a conventional submarine is around 35 years old). There is therefore a great potential for MAN ES France to renew the fleet over the next two decades, "with 300 to 400 submarines to be built," he estimates. Submarines, and therefore engines, of larger sizes and with even more advanced technology. A nice work of product strategy in perspective for design offices. * B&D spare: Base & Depot spare. Refers to spare parts stored ashore to meet the operational needs of military vessels