Why India wants German submarines – and what Pakistan and China have to do with it
A multibillion-dollar submarine deal between India and Germany reflects New Delhi’s push for military self-reliance — and Berlin’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific. India is
A multibillion-dollar submarine deal between India and Germany reflects New Delhi’s push for military self-reliance — and Berlin’s growing interest in the Indo-Pacific. India is moving to strengthen its navy with a new generation of submarines designed in Germany and to be built in India. The deal, worth around $8 billion (€7 billion), is expected to be signed this summer, according to the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. The deal comes as the Indo‑Pacific turns into an increasingly contested arena, with submarines playing a central role. China's growing naval reach and Pakistan's deepening military ties with Beijing are sharpening India's sense of urgency. China's plan to dominate the seas To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The submarines in question are German-designed Type 214 boats, built by Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, or TKMS. They are diesel-electric submarines, not nuclear-powered ones. But they include key technology that makes them especially valuable: air-independent propulsion (AIP). That technology allows them to stay underwater much longer than other conventional submarines — making them harder to detect and better suited for patrols in crowded waters. India's sea lanes are vital India has more than 11,000 kilometers (about 6,840 miles) of coastline, and more than 90% of its trade by volume moves by sea. But the Indian Ocean also contains several chokepoints — narrow passages where sea traffic can be disrupted. Any threat to these routes can quickly become a threat to India's economy. "This is why it's so important for India to maintain freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific region", said Shairee Malhotra, Deputy Director of the Strategic Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in New Delhi. "Which is why India wants to enhance its naval power. And these submarines would mark a major advancement in India's undersea warfare capabilities." India’s Defense Minister Rajnath Singh (second from right) and Germany’s Boris Pistorius (second from left) visit the Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard in Kiel, Germany, in April 2026 Image: Petra Nowack/penofoto/IMAGO Submarines are useful in this environment because they can patrol quietly, monitor enemy ships, and create uncertainty for stronger surface fleets. In a crisis, they can act as a deterrent. "Submarines are evolving into one of the most crucial capabilities in terms of maritime power in the Indo-Pacific," said Sidharth Kaushal, Senior Research Fellow for sea power at the Royal United Services Institute in London. One reason, he said, is that "the surface there is increasingly becoming a very heavily contested and even denied space." Why AIP matters Traditional diesel-electric submarines must regularly surface to take in air for their engines.
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