SYLLABUS

GS-3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology

Context: A new generation of Man-portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (MP-AUVs) has been developed by DRDO’s Naval Science & Technological Laboratory (NSTL), Visakhapatnam, for advanced mine-countermeasure operations.

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• The recently concluded field trials at NSTL/Harbour have successfully validated the system’s salient parameters and critical mission objectives.

• Multiple industry partners are involved in system realisation, and the system will be ready for production in the next couple of months.

Key Features of the MP-AUVs

• Portable and Lightweight: The MP-AUV system is portable and lightweight, making it man-portable and deployable by personnel.

• Multiple AUV units: The system comprises multiple autonomous underwater vehicles working collaboratively.

• Real-time detection: The AUVs are equipped with Side Scan Sonar and underwater cameras for high-resolution seabed imaging and real-time visual confirmation.

• Autonomous classification: The onboard deep learning based target recognition algorithms enable autonomous classification.

• Communication Network: A robust underwater acoustic communication has been integrated to facilitate inter-AUV data exchange during operations ensuring enhanced situational awareness.

Strategic Significance of the MP-AUVs

• Rapid Response Capability: The system delivers quick operational response with reduced operational risk and logistic footprint for naval mine warfare applications.

• Lower Logistic Requirements: MP-AUVs maintain a significantly smaller logistic footprint than traditional systems.

• Advanced Underwater Capability: The vehicles represent a major milestone in developing a deployable, intelligent, and networked mine-countermeasure solution.

• Support for Aatmanirbhar Bharat: The project promotes indigenous defence technology and strengthens maritime self-reliance.

• Enhanced Naval Mine Warfare: MP-AUVs complement upcoming mine countermeasure vessels to reinforce India’s naval mine-warfare capabilities.

• Operator Efficiency: The autonomy and smart recognition feature significantly reduce operator workload and overall mission duration.

Sources:
Pib 
New Indian Express 
The Hindu Business Line