Indigenous submarine AIP module enters second setting-to-work phase; integration planned for 2027

The second setting-to-work phase of an indigenous Air Independent Propulsion energy module was inaugurated at L&T’s Hazira engineering complex in Gujarat on 24 October 2026, the Ministry of Defence said in a PIB release. The module was developed by DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory for diesel-electric submarines.

The announcement marks a development and testing milestone. In the next phase, the module is to be energised for power production and tested under Indian Navy protocols before being handed to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders for planned integration on a Kalvari-class submarine in early 2027. The release does not report that integration or naval induction has already been completed.

According to the ministry, AIP is intended to extend underwater endurance by reducing a diesel-electric submarine’s dependence on atmospheric oxygen. The release gives no quantified endurance gain, power output or operational test result, and this milestone does not establish those figures.

The ministry said the programme’s next stages must meet naval timelines while maintaining the safety requirements associated with hydrogen and fuel-cell systems. Further testing and integration remain ahead of the planned submarine installation.

Source: Ministry of Defence, Press Information Bureau, release dated 24 October 2026. Original KROV English reporting and Telugu adaptation based on the official release.