Indian Navy to deploy unmanned weaponized marine boats and undersea drones for enhanced security
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India's security services are planning to deploy cutting-edge unmanned armed marine boats and undersea drone swarms throughout its enormous coastline and strategically crucial areas such as Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh, where tensions with China have lingered. The Indian Navy has authorized the purchase of 12 autonomous armed boat swarms developed by Pune-based Sagar Defence Engineering.
During the Naval Innovation & Indigenisation Organisation exposition at Bharat Mandapam, Nikunj Parashar, the founder of Sagar Defence Engineering, gave insights into these unique boats. "These boats will provide naval forces with significant tactical advantages in underwater and surface warfare due to their multi-mission capabilities," Parashar stated.
The boats are equipped with two sophisticated cameras in front and back for monitoring, a day and night radar tracking system, a 12.7 mm SRCG gun for threat neutralization, and can be readily operated from a remote station.It also includes an unmanned aerial vehicle.Multiple boats can be controlled from a single monitoring station."
These cutting-edge vessels can run for 48 hours on a single tank of gasoline and provide 360-degree exterior and internal situational monitoring.They are equipped with ISRO's navigation system, NaVIC, in addition to GPS, and can navigate even when GPS signals are unavailable. The Navy will keep 10 of the 12 boats for its operations, while the Indian Army would utilize two for operations in Pangong Lake.
Pangong Tso, a 134-kilometer-long saline lake in eastern Ladakh at an elevation of 4,350 meters, has been heavily monitored by both Indian and PLA forces along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).Since the stalemate began in 2020, China has significantly expanded its patrol boat activity in the area. In response to Chinese threats, the Indian Army earlier purchased 12 rapid patrol boats and 17 troop-carrying fiberglass boats in 2021 from PSU Goa Shipyard and a private shipyard.
The installation of these unmanned boats is a strategic move designed to improve Indian troops' observation capabilities while successfully countering the PLA's larger Type 92B patrol boats in the vicinity.
According to Parashar, the boats, known as "Mata Matangi," can operate at night, have a cargo capacity of over 2000kg, and can reach speeds of 50 knots or more. Notably, if the ship capsizes or topples, it can self-right and endure waves up to six meters long.
In addition to the unmanned boats, the Navy has placed an order with Sagar Defence Engineering for 30 underwater swarms of drones known as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). These unmanned aerial vehicles will be used for mine detection and countermeasure operations. According to Parashar, "all of these AUVs communicate with each other beneath the sea." When a mother AUV detects an underwater mine, it will dispatch another AUV to monitor it, after that, an expendable AUV will be dispatched to neutralize the mine. The AUVs will be utilized for hydrographic survey and asset monitoring in addition to surveillance and mine danger identification."
In addition, to improve its overall operating capabilities, the Navy has bought seven more types of drones, especially built for cargo lifting and medical evacuation. This accomplishment represents a significant step forward in upgrading and strengthening India's marine security and surveillance activities along its coastline and the strategically important Pangong Lake.