A company spokeswoman said: “Competition is getting tougher and tougher, and all means can be used in this context”.
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It could not immediately authenticate the documents, but would not rule out that the leak was part of an “economic war” waged by the competitors it beat in the contest for the Australian contract, DCNS said.
India is investigating damage caused to French Scorpene submarines that are being built in the country, the defence ministry said on Wednesday (August 23), after the leak of documents relating to the vessel’s combat capabilities.
The Hindu newspaper said Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has called for an investigation, and blamed the incident on hackers.
A day after the data leak on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company came to light, an MDL official said there were stringent norms at MDL on data security.
“I understand there has been a case of hacking”, Parrikar told reporters.
India has ordered six Scorpene-class submarines in a deal worth $3 billion.
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.
“The Indian Navy has taken up the matter with Director General of Armament of the French Government expressing concern over this incident and has requested the French Government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side”, according to an August 25 Indian Navy statement.
“Whatever the result may be, the specifications, characteristics and the abilities of our submarines are unique and different from that owned by Chile or India”.
Stolen records include details of the stealth submarines’ sensors, torpedo launch systems, and communications and navigation capabilities, CNN said.
The leak of the classified documents, whih were marked as “Restricted Scorpene India”, is a big worry for India, as if the papers somehow land in Pakistan or China, it would be a disaster for the national security.
The allegedly leaked information related to Scorpene submarines has presentations and technical manuals of the boat, including details like the acoustic signature, noise level and radiated noise of the boat.
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Although Australia awarded its submarine contract to DCNS, the secret combat system for the 12 Shortfin Barracudas is being supplied by the United States.
