The Indian Navy is investigating how it might use USV swarms in collaboration with a local company. The Indian Navy (IN) has ordered a weaponized 12-boat swarm, and the first prototype USV will be demonstrated by the end of this year.
Early this year, a contract for India’s first armed autonomous uncrewed boat with swarming capabilities was awarded to private start-up Sagar Defence Engineering Ltd. (SDEL). For the past decade, the company has been working on the complete indigenization of USVs, including improved autonomy, electric propulsion, and battery capacity. The project is being used by the IN to better understand and evaluate the capabilities of USV swarms for practical application. If the order is successful, it may result in higher numbers.
What are Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)?
An unmanned surface vehicle (USV), also known as an unmanned surface vessel, autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) in some cases, or uncrewed surface vessel (USV), is a boat or ship that operates on the water’s surface without a crew. USVs have varying degrees of autonomy, ranging from remote control to fully autonomous.
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USVs were used militarily as early as World War II for remote-controlled target craft and minesweeper purposes, and they are now being used for a variety of purposes in the twenty-first century, including oceanography and environmental monitoring, cargo transport, and military applications. Several other applications are being investigated. During the Russian invasion of Ukraine in October 2022, Ukraine’s armed forces used 7 USVs and 8 UAVs to attack multiple Russian naval vessels at the Sevastopol Naval Base. According to Naval News, this is the first time unmanned surface vehicles have been used in naval warfare.
Significance of USV for Indian Navy
The boat swarms could be useful in Ladakh’s Pangong Lake, where Chinese intrude on a regular basis to annoy us, and we could nudge them out of the area. The 134-kilometer-long lake, located at an elevation of 4,225 meters, spans Eastern Ladakh and West Tibet. There, India recently deployed a new landing craft and patrol boats.
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The USVs could perform a variety of naval and security missions, beginning with ISR. Upgraded types are likely to improve operations such as ship escort, mine clearance, supply delivery, patrol, and combat. SDEL recently launched the Unmanned Marine Surface Vehicle, an autonomous sea-going robot capable of collecting and communicating real-time ocean data in unpredictable conditions.
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