Why it is in the news
On 23 September 2026, Germany's new Ambassador to India, Jasper Wieck, said Germany is ready to sign a “forward leaning” deal with India for six submarines worth about $8 billion, being negotiated between Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) and Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL). “From the German side, we should sign tomorrow,” he said, adding that the German government has agreed to all the negotiated documents, in particular the government-to-government (G2G) / inter-governmental agreement, and has eased barriers that had hampered defence cooperation with India.
The exam angle
Issue: Can India close its conventional-submarine gap and build an indigenous design base through P-75(I), given that the programme needed over 25 years from the 1999 plan to reach signature?