Over 22,000 pages of classified documents related to India’s Scorpene submarines have been leaked, according to reports in Australian media. India had ordered six Scorpene submarines, designed by French company DCNS, that are expected to play a key role in the country’s future naval strategy. The first Scorpene class submarine – Kalvari – underwent sea trials in May this year and is expected to be inducted into the Navy soon.

The leaked documents contain details of the submarine’s underwater and over-water sensors, navigation, communication, combat management, and torpedo launch systems. Information about the submarine’s diving depth and range, in addition to frequencies at which it gathers intelligence and the amount of noise it makes moving at various speeds, is also feared to have been leaked.

Meanwhile, DCNS has denied that the leak could have come from their end, saying that “multiple and independent controls exist within DCNS to prevent unauthorised access to data and all data movements are encrypted and recorded”. The company has also clarified that they do not control technical data shared with the local company building the submarine based on DCNS designs.

The Indian navy, on the other hand, has denied that the source of the leak was from India.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar also responded to the controversy, calling it “a case of hacking”.

A statement released by the Ministry of Defence reiterated that the origin of the leaks is from “overseas” and that the “available information is being examined at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) and an analysis is being carried out by the concerned specialists”.