“P-75(I) PROGRAMME IS OUR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY”

JORGE GARCÍA-MONEDERO has just been appointed as International Commercial Director in Navantia. He is a Naval Architect and has been part of Navantia since 2000. With long experience in international business he has been head of the Navantia Malaysia office from 2002 to 2006, and the Turkey office from 2013 to 2017. Excerpts from an exclusive conversation with GEOPOLITICS

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What are some of Navantia’s new warship programmes that could be of interest to the Indian navy?

Navantia is currently working on many programmes. But I would like to focus first on the Spanish Navy S-80 submarines under construction in our Cartagena Shipyard, with the first unit already in the water conducting the harbour and sea trials prior to delivery. The S-80 is a state-of-the-art oceanic AIP submarine that provides an excellent point of reference for Navantia’s bid for the Indian Navy’s P-75(I), we are working very closely together with support the delivery the Strategic Partners, both Larsen & Toubro and Mazagon Dock Limited, in order to deliver a feasible proposal that suits the requirements of the Indian Navy P-75(I) programme is the number one priority for us in India and we are doing all necessary efforts to support the Indian Navy and the Ministry for Defence to obtain a modern and powerful submarine built in India with a high degree of indigenisation.

On the other hand, Navantia has been following very closely other Indian Navy programmes which have clear references in our product catalogue, like the LPD programme, Navantia has built “Juan Carlos I” for the Spanish Navy, “Canberra” and “Adelaide” for the Royal Australian Navy and is at the late stages prior to delivery of the “Anadolu” for the Turkish Navy, or the Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMV) based on our Seguraclass delivered to the Spanish Navy.

What are some of the latest naval warfare trends that Navantia is focusing on?