SYDNEY: Australian newspaper reported on Wednesday, most paramount information has leaked on its submarines that hit French defence contractor DCNS, it has given alarm to countries like Malaysia, India, and Chile.
The daily said, about 22,400 pages have leaked, it includes details of combat capability of the Scorpene-class submarine DCNS. It aims to design for the Indian navy, and deviant of which are used by Malaysia and Chile. Brazil also owing to arrange the watercraft from 2018.
Australia awarded to DCNS with an amount Aus$50 billion (US$38 billion) in last April to design and build its next generation of submarines.
But Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull wants to play a game as impact on Canberra saying information leaked “of concern”, the Scorpene was a different model to the subs Australia is buying.
He told Channel Seven, “what else submarine we build or will be building with French is named as the Barracuda, which is completely different submarine to the Scorpene they are building for India,”
“We have the highest security protections on all of our defence information, whether it is in partnership with other countries or entirely within Australia.”
Scorpene class submarines has been build in India Kalvari first time and went for trial in May 2016, it is expected to be soon inducted in Indian Navy.
Once we inducted six submarines at a time will form a core of the Indian Navy’s submarine arm for the next two decades, Indian Navy officials have said.
The leaked documents were marked “Restricted Scorpene India” and gave the combat capabilities of India’s new submarine fleet, the Australian said.
The secret information consist of 1000 of pages on submarine sensors, 1000 more on communication and navigation systems and 500 pages on the torpedo launch system alone.
DCNS said that they are aware about information has leaked in Australian press and “national security authorities” had launched an inquiry into on the matter without giving any details.
“This inquiry will conclude the accurate nature of documents have leaked, the potential damage to our customers as well as those responsible.”
The Australian said DCNS disguised that the leak may have come from India rather than France.
However the daily said the data was thought to have been removed from France in 2011 by a former French navy officer who at the time was a subcontractor for DCNS.
It though that data has been passed through firms in Southeast Asia before finally being mailed to a company in Australia, the newspaper said.
The DCNS website says the new ship would be “the recipient of France’s most sensitive and protected submarine technology and will be the most lethal conventional submarine ever contemplated”.
