Indian Navy commissions survey vessel INS Sandhayak
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Taking Stock of India’s Evolving Unmanned Undersea Capabilities
On July 28, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), an Indian state-owned shipyard, launched an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) named Neerakshi. A significant milestone in India’s efforts to strengthen its underwater capabilities, it is a collaborative effort between GRSE and Aerospace Engineering Private Limited (AEPL). Officials said that the vehicle can be used for a variety of functions such as mine detection, mine disposal, and underwater survey.
Lauding the indigenous partnership behind the prototype’s production, Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) Chairman Samir V. Kamat said that he is optimistic about the Indian defense industry’s capacity to provide innovative and cutting-edge technologies in order to meet the ever-growing demands of the armed forces.
Growing Relevance of Unmanned Underwater Systems
For centuries, all major powers have focused on dominating the oceans. This was largely made possible by the addition of submarines to their maritime forces, and eventually subs became an important part of modern naval warfare. In the last several decades, remarkable advancements in technology have enabled us to eliminate the human factor in this realm, allowing unmanned systems to play an active role on an unprecedented scale.
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), as the name suggests, are submersible systems that function underwater without a human operator on board. These are usually classified into two categories – remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROUVs) that operate with human support, and autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) that work independently in an automated fashion.
UUVs are built to perform very unique roles. Their main functions include mine countermeasures; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; anti-submarine warfare; search and rescue operations; anti-surface warfare; protection of critical infrastructure; monitoring checkpoints; oceanographic research; etc. As there are different types of UUVs, coming in several shapes and sizes, their operators are provided with a higher degree of flexibility.
Additionally, their abilities to inflict very high damage, especially when operated in groups of large numbers (also called swarms), as well as their lower implementation and operational cost, and improved endurance when compared to manned platforms, are expected to make them a preferred choice in the near future. Although UUVs are mostly used for peacetime operations today, they are also highly capable of offensive roles. Just as unmanned aerial systems have transformed land-air warfare, UUVs are also set to revolutionize naval warfare – completely changing the way naval forces perceive maritime operations.
India’s Forays Into the UUV Space
For more than a decade, the DRDO and its cluster laboratories have been involved in the production of indigenous AUVs that are designed and developed fully in India. In 2010, the Indian Navy floated a tender to invite interest from state-owned and private defense companies regarding a requirement for at least 10 AUVs. These were expected to carry out surveillance, reconnaissance, and oceanographic survey missions and should be operable at a depth of 500 meters for a duration of 7 to 8 hours.
A few years later, a collaboration between DRDO and IIT Madras resulted in an AUV that completed its preliminary testing in the Bay of Bengal. This technology demonstrator prototype had a flat-fish configuration and was reportedly able to carry payloads weighing up to 500 kgs at a depth of 100 to 300 meters. At the same time, another variant – which was aimed to be used mainly for mine disposal activities – was also under development by the DRDO’s Naval Science and Technology Laboratory (NSTL) in Vishakhapatnam and Electronics Corporation India Ltd (ECIL). Apart from these, India also built a low cost AUV called Samudra, which is being used for deep-sea exploration purposes.
In 2015, former Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar had addressed the Parliament regarding a feasibility study that was undertaken to assess the DRDO’s capabilities to design and develop different kinds of UUVs. In the “Indian Naval Indigenization Plan (2015-2030),” a guideline document released to enunciate its most important requirements as well as self-reliant endeavors including the development and use of critical technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Indian Navy discussed in detail the need to “enhance operational capabilities of naval forces in underwater warfare, reconnaissance and surveillance.”
At the Naval Commanders’ Conference in 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched the “Integrated Unmanned Roadmap for Indian Navy” that is expected to guide the capability development of unmanned platforms in the Indian Navy from 2021 to 2030. In July 2022, an unclassified version of this publication was released for the benefit of industry partners so that their development of unmanned technologies and solutions will be synchronized with the Navy’s requirements.
Along with state-owned entities, private companies are also equally involved in the development of indigenously built UUVs. At DefExpo 2020, the flagship event of the Ministry of Defense, Larsen and Tourbo (L&T) displayed its newly developed underwater drones, Adamya, Amogh, and Maya. Adamya in particular can be launched from both surface ships and submarines, and can last for 8 hours at a depth of 500 meters. Further, the company also signed an MoU with NewSpace Research and Technologies (NRT) to design and build UUVs.
The Way Ahead
As human-guided missions are challenging in underwater environments, the need to integrate autonomous unmanned systems has become a priority for maritime forces. In such complex conditions, AI-run vehicles will be able to make their own decisions based on the data collected and thereby, increase their adaptability and survivability. So far, the United States and China have been at the forefront of transforming their navies into AI-enabled forces. The Indian Navy too, is on a quest to incorporate AI and machine learning (ML) initiatives into critical mission areas.
While New Delhi has said that it prefers domestic procurements, this might not be possible in the short term. As it requires UUV platforms on an urgent basis, imports should be relied on until indigenous capabilities are well established. Private companies’ contributions and research and development projects will become crucial in enhancing these critical technologies, and therefore, the government and the navy should push for an inclusive approach that will bring together all the important stakeholders.
Very soon, UUVs will become the norm in naval operations and manned platforms will be more mission-specific. Even though the drone industry in India is still in its infancy, one can definitely argue that a naval dimension has been added to it. As the strategic competition in the IOR intensifies and India attempts to keep a check on Beijing’s presence in the region, it must push beyond surveillance and intelligence collection activities, and maintain a strong UUV capacity with adequate offensive capabilities.
Taking Stock of India’s Evolving Unmanned Undersea Capabilities
India’s new autonomous underwater vehicles is a milestone for its efforts in the UUV sector.
thediplomat.com
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What is INS Sandhayak, Indian Navy's latest survey vessel to join naval force?
The Indian Navy commissioned its latest survey vessel, Sandhayak, at Naval Dockyard in Vizag on Saturday in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, along with Admiral R Hari Kumar, the chief of the naval staff.What is INS Sandhayak?
• INS Sandhayak is the first in a series of four Survey Vessel (Large) ships being constructed at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE), Kolkata.• The primary purpose of the ship is to conduct comprehensive coastal and deep-water Hydrographic Surveys for Port and Harbour approaches, as well as determining navigational channels and routes.
• The operational zone extends up to maritime limits, covering the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and extended continental shelf.
• Additionally, the vessel is equipped to gather oceanographic and geophysical data, serving both defence and civil applications.
• In its secondary role, the ship can offer limited defence capabilities and serve as a hospital ship during wartime or emergencies.
• Sandhayak is equipped with cutting-edge hydrographic tools, including a Data Acquisition and Processing System, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Remotely Operated Vehicle, DGPS Long-range positioning systems, and Digital side-scan sonar.
• Powered by two diesel engines, the vessel boasts a speed capability exceeding 18 knots.
• Measuring 110 meters in length and displacing 3400 tons, INS Sandhayak has an indigenous content of over 80 per cent by cost.
• This ship is re-incarnated in its present avatar from erstwhile Sandhayak, which was decommissioned in 2021.
What is INS Sandhayak, Indian Navy's latest survey vessel to join naval force?
INS Sandhayak is re-incarnated in its present avatar from erstwhile Sandhayak - Indian Navy's oldest Hydrographic Survey Vessel that was decommissioned in 2021.
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Navy adding capability to reinforce India as superpower in Indo-Pacific: Rajnath
New Delhi: The Indian Navy on Saturday commissioned survey vessel INS Sandhayak into service at the Naval Dockyard in Visakhapatnam in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh, who said that the new ship would help further strengthen India’s role as a superpower in the Indo-Pacific region and highlighted the navy’s role in strengthening maritime security in the distant seas that face a raft of challenges.
“Many choke points like the Gulf of Aden are there in the Indian Ocean through which a large amount of international trade takes place. Many threats remain at these choke points, the biggest being from pirates,” Singh said, referring to the recent jump in hijacking attempts in the region and the role played by the navy in rescuing several ships and their crews from Somali pirates
The Indian Navy has thwarted five piracy attempts in and around the Arabian Sea in the last few days and responded to distress calls made by merchant ships hit by missiles and drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels. It foiled a piracy attempt off the Somali coast on Friday and rescued the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Omari and its crew of 11 Iranians and eight Pakistanis.
“The Indian Navy is facilitating safe trade in the Indian Ocean region while ensuring peace and prosperity. Many defence experts are calling this the rise of a superpower. This is our culture, to protect everyone,” the defence minister said.
INS Sandhayak, the navy’s first SVL (survey vessel large) class of ships, will carry out hydrographic surveys of ports, harbours, navigational channels, coastal areas and the deep seas to enable safe navigation, the defence ministry said in a statement, adding the ship is also capable of a range of naval operations.
The vessel is the first of the four ships being constructed in the country under the SVL project. It has a displacement of 3,400 tonnes, a length of 110 metres and a width of 16 metres.
“The ocean is vast. The more we explore its elements, the more our knowledge will expand, and we will become stronger...The more we know about the ocean, the more meaningfully we will be able to fulfil our strategic interests,” Singh said.
He said India, with its growing might, was determined to eradicate anarchy not only from the region but from the entire world. “The purpose of our growing power is to ensure a rules-based world order. Our aim is to stop illegal and unregulated fishing in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific region. The navy is stopping narcotics and human trafficking in this region. It is committed not only to stopping piracy but also making this entire region peaceful and prosperous.”
Strengthening the navy will help India become a promoter of world peace, he added.
Singh said a country, in the initial stage of its development, depends on other countries for security, before it starts developing the capability to protect itself, and then comes the next stage when it becomes so powerful that it not only safeguards its own interests but also protects friendly nations.
The challenges in the distant seas include China’s carefully calculated power play for influence, defending the rules-based international order, and the Arabian Sea emerging as a new front with Red Sea tensions escalating and the resurgence of piracy. The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in and around the Arabian Sea substantially and deployed task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of rising threats.
Those involved in maritime piracy and smuggling will not be spared, Singh said.
Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar said the SVL project highlighted the importance attached by the government and the navy to “the quintessential prerequisite to operating at sea — the survey of the unfathomable depths of the oceans.”
“Be it the mighty aircraft carrier Vikrant, the deadly destroyers of Visakhapatnam class, the versatile Nilgiri class frigates, the stealthy Kalvari class submarines...we are carefully crafting a balanced ‘Aatmanirbhar’ force in service of an ascendant Bharat,” Kumar said.
Sandhayak, which means the one who carries out a special search, has an indigenous content of more than 80% by cost, the statement added.
Navy adding capability to reinforce India as superpower in Indo-Pacific: Rajnath
The navy has thwarted five piracy attempts in and around the Arabian Sea in the last few days and responded to distress calls made by merchant ships hit by missiles and drones launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels
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