SOURCE: AFI
In a significant leap toward modernizing India’s underwater warfare capabilities, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is developing Unmanned Launchable Underwater Aerial Vehicles (ULUAVs) that can be launched from the torpedo tubes of conventional submarines. This pioneering initiative is aimed at enhancing the lethality, intelligence-gathering, and mission flexibility of the Indian Navy’s existing fleet of diesel-electric submarines.
ULUAVs represent a hybrid capability, designed to operate underwater and then transition into the aerial domain upon surfacing. These drone systems can be equipped for a variety of missions, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Warfare (EW), decoy roles, and potentially even kinetic strikes. Once deployed, the ULUAV exits the torpedo tube encased in a special canister, surfaces, and transitions into flight mode, allowing it to surveil beyond the line-of-sight from a submerged platform.
This capability significantly enhances a submarine’s operational envelope by allowing it to remain stealthy and submerged while still gathering critical data or launching precision drone-based missions over the horizon. This is especially valuable for targeting enemy vessels, conducting coastal surveillance, or providing targeting data to other naval and aerial assets without compromising the submarine’s location.
In parallel, DRDO is also working on a more advanced concept involving underwater drone swarms that can be deployed and controlled from a submarine serving as a mother ship. These swarms, made up of multiple small unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), could be used for mine detection, seabed mapping, harbor defense, ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) tasks, and even coordinated attacks on enemy vessels or submarines. Controlled via tethered or acoustic communication links, these UUVs can operate in coordinated formations, offering a force multiplier effect in underwater operations.
The development of submarine-launched ULUAVs and drone swarms aligns with a broader strategic push by the Indian Navy and DRDO to integrate next-generation autonomous systems across maritime domains. It also reflects a global trend, with major naval powers like the United States, China, and Russia investing heavily in autonomous and semi-autonomous underwater platforms to gain a decisive edge in contested maritime zones.
While timelines for induction have not been officially announced, these projects are expected to play a pivotal role in the future underwater battlespace, especially as India expands its submarine fleet and seeks to maintain credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region.
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