New Delhi: India’s underwater defence capabilities have received a major boost with the successful development of a new generation of man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles (MP-AUVs) by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The Ministry of Defence announced the breakthrough on Friday, highlighting that the advanced system is specifically designed to detect underwater mines with high accuracy and reduced human intervention.
According to the ministry, the latest MP-AUV system consists of multiple compact autonomous underwater vehicles fitted with side-scan sonar and high-resolution underwater cameras. These serve as the primary payloads, enabling real-time detection of mine-like objects during underwater surveillance missions.
A standout feature of the system is its deep learning–based target recognition algorithm embedded within the onboard processors. This advanced AI capability allows the vehicles to autonomously classify potential underwater threats, drastically cutting down operator workload and significantly shortening mission duration.
The ministry noted that these MP-AUVs represent a major step forward in India’s indigenous underwater defence technology.
The cutting-edge underwater vehicles have been developed by DRDO’s Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL), located in Visakhapatnam—one of India’s premier defence laboratories specialising in naval systems.