Sensitive Data About Indian Submarines Leaked Online, Here's Everything You Need To Know

What could potentially cause sleepless nights for the Indian Defense system and the Navy has already created quite a stir abroad. The data leak of more than 22,400 pages listing all the information regarding the new scorpene submarines belonging to the Indian Navy could potentially open a can of worms regarding national security around the world. As off now, the loss is being calculated at millions and billions of dollars.
What are Scorpene Submarines and how did India get them?
According to a report published by The Australia, the data was carelessly released in 2011; “The leaked DCNS data details the secret stealth capabilities of the six new Indian submarines, including what frequencies they gather intelligence at, what levels of noise they make at various speeds and their diving depths, range and endurance — all sensitive information that is highly classified. The data tells the submarine crew where on the boat they can speak safely to avoid ­detection by the enemy. It also discloses magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red data as well as the specifications of the submarine’s torpedo launch system and the combat system,” it states.
French Company DCNS won the $3.5-billion deal to build India’s submarine fleet in 2005 and was facing competition from Japan as well as Germany to build submarines in Australia.
According to NDTV, ‘The Scorpenes, being built for 3.5 billion dollars at the state-run Mazagon shipyard, are considered some of the most advanced of their class in the world. They are so silent underwater that they are extremely difficult, if not impossible to detect. But now their sonar capabilities, the noise they generate and details of the combat system they are armed with are totally exposed.”
“India has a fleet of 13 ageing submarines, only half of which are operational at any time, opening up a major gap with China which is expanding its maritime presence in the Indian Ocean. The first of the Scorpene class submarines being built in India, the INS Kalvari, took part in sea trials in May and is expected to go into service by the end of the year,” the report states.
Where did the leak originate from?
It’s being said that a former DCNS employee joined a rival company from where the leak might have originated. The Hindu, who got in touch with the reporter who wrote the original story, writes, “One of Australia’s leading investigative reporters, Cameron Stewart of The Australian, has reported that thousands of pages of secret documents detailing various capabilities and characteristics of the Indian Navy’s Scorpene submarine project have been leaked. If these data falls into the hands of a foreign power, it could seriously compromise India’s latest and most expensive submarine project.” The interview revealed that the leak might have originated in France. “My information is that the data went from the DCNS employee in France, taken by him to Southeast Asia, where probably he used it to establish his credibility, and did not give out the information. That person for various reasons consolidated the data, and a private company ended up having the data. Then, the data was transferred to a company in another country, and in some point it was posted to an Australian company, without any security care. There are lots of holes in this story, but that is what I have been told. However, I do not believe that the leak came from India, but it came from France,” the reporter stated to The Hindu.
What do the documents disclose?
A report  by The Financial Express states, ‘The leaked data is said to include very sensitive details of the submarine such as technical manuals and models of the boat’s antennae. It gives elaborate details of frequencies at which the submarine gathers intelligence, what levels of noise it makes at various speeds, range and endurance. The documents also disclose the magnetic, electromagnetic and infra-red data. The noise specifications of the propeller and the radiated noise levels that occur when the submarine surfaces, have also been leaked.”

Is it as serious as it sounds?
Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd.), a former Indian naval chief told The Wire that it was too early to jump to any alarmist conclusions about the consequences of the leak. “If you see the documents that have been put out, they are stamped ‘restricted’,” he said. “Now, at least in the Indian system, restricted is one step away from ‘unclassified’. The highest security classification is ‘Top Secret,’ after which there is ‘Secret’ and then ‘Classified.’ So it is not clear how sensitive this information is, though the fact that it has leaked is obviously disturbing.”
Although some of the pages have the Indian navy’s emblem, the leak is believed to have occurred at the company level in France. Admiral Prakash said it would be quite natural for the documentation printed by the supplier to use the naval emblem since the submarines were being produced for the Indian navy.
In the interview to The Wire, Singh said that though the document is indeed marked ‘Restricted’, it is not clear whose classification this is. “Assuming the documents have leaked from the company, as The Australian has reported, then this is the company’s own classification,” he said, adding that it is rare for private sector firms to use classifications such as ‘Secret’ or ‘Top Secret.’
A report by Financial Express stated that Maroof Raza, Defence and Strategic Affairs expert is not too worried about this leak and instead wants India to focus on the long-term solution. “The Navy has already indicated that there is nothing too dramatic about this whole news. The Indian Navy is fairly advanced when it comes to advanced engineering capabilities. The data leak on some aspects will be a temporary setback, the Indian Navy, I am sure, will be able to come up with an even more enhanced version,” he told FE Online.
What did DCNS say?
Times of India

reported that the DCNS website says the Scorpene would be “the recipient of France’s most sensitive and protected submarine technology and will be the most lethal conventional submarine ever contemplated.”

“France’s DCNS said that it was aware of the articles published in the Australian press and that ‘national security authorities’ had launched an inquiry into the matter, without giving details...This inquiry will determine the precise nature of the documents which have been leaked, the potential damage to our customers as well as those responsible,” the French defence contractor said in the report by TOI.

Make Submarines in India?
FE online hinted at ‘Make In India’ as a solution for the data leak and national security risk. “Raza stresses on the need for effective ‘Make in India’. ‘The only long-term solution to data leak threats is Make In India. It is a long-term plan that will take 15 to 20 years, but the only way forward is to trust the domestic manufacturers and promote them,’” said Maroof Raza. According to Raza, “the real cause of the problem is that we don’t give our private sector a chance. We say that the defence sector data is too sensitive, but we are willing to take the risk of giving details to a foreign manufacturer.” “This manufacturer would also sell the same platform to other countries for a hefty money. This is a price that you pay for not manufacturing extensively in India,” he lamented.
He said that Armed forces, PSUs and bureaucracy need to be on the same page; “Till that happens and till we do not move domestic defence production in the right direction, with this triangle working effectively, and the private sector being extensively involved, we will just keep thinking of Make In India, and will always be vulnerable to the impact of data leak,” he concluded.

Video courtesy of NDTV

Feature Image Courtesy: Reuters