Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 22 (IANS) Bernard Buisson has been named the new India head of French defence major DCNS that is assisting state-owned Mazagon Dock Ltd (MDL) in constructing six state-of-the-art Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.

“Sound foundations have been built and DCNS India is to expand its presence as a true local partner. I believe India and France have parallel visions in defence and energy engineering. We want to extend and enhance the very good partnerships,” a company statement Wednesday quoted Buisson as saying.

DCNS India’s “main missions are to support the naval shipyards and industries, to develop local services with Indian talent and to extend sourcing opportunities for both local and international needs”, the statement said.

DCNS has an “already settled presence in India through the creation of DCNS India and built an industrial relationship with MDL. DCNS is conducting true technologies transfers at an unprecedented level for such complex naval platforms”, the statement added.

Expanding on the Scorpene programme, Buisson said: “One has to appreciate that the production of six state-of-the-art submarines through extensive ToT (transfer of technology) - on a product incorporating such technologically advanced solutions - is a world first.”

According to Buisson, throughout its service life, a submarine “needs to fulfill strong requirements (safety of the crew, acoustic discretion, reliability, availability) while operating in harsh environments. Thanks to the efforts of all over the past few years, MDL has today absorbed the demanding technologies associated to the hull fabrication”.

“Today, the outfitting works are on-going. These significant ToT achievements are indeed paving the way for the current and future programmes. MDL and DCNS teams work well together. The ToT is going well,” he added.

Apart from the Scorpene project, DCNS will also provide a comprehensive engineering package and engine/reduction gear cradles to Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) for four Indian-built anti-submarine warfare corvettes.

Buisson has worked for over 35 years in the defence industry. Holder of a diploma in electronic and computer sciences and a masters in administration (Paris 6 University), he has worked at an international level on implementing command and control (C2, C4I) and aerospace solutions.

His first appointment in India was in 2003 where he implemented offsets obligations on various defence programmes. His last position was CEO of EADS Singapore (Airbus and Eurocopter).

DCNS is a world leader in naval defence and an innovative player in energy. The group’s success as an advanced technology company with global reach is built on exceptional know-how and unique industrial resources.

DCNS designs, builds and supports submarines and surface combatants as well as associated systems and infrastructure. It also develops solutions in civil nuclear engineering and marine renewable energy. One of the first defence contractors to achieve Group-wide ISO 14001 certification to, the Group employs 12,000 people and generates annual revenues of around 2.4 billion euros.