Abstract:
In recent times the concept of Naval Warfare is changing with the inception of cost effective and economical platforms like AUVs, ROVs, etc. Countries which are major sea powers have started to focus towards underwater systems for surveillance, intelligence gathering and to some extent offensive missions. India being a major player and net security provider of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) can't stay behind in this race. Unfortunately, not much research and development has taken place in India to create an ecosystem for production of such systems in the past, that too with offensive mission capabilities. Our belligerent northern neighbour China is slowly expanding its activities in the IOR. Hence it is urgently required to create and nurture an ecosystem to design, develop, and operate such systems with futuristic technologies having both offensive & defensive capabilities, thereby removing the existing challenges and reducing the dependency on foreign imports.
Introduction:
The concept of naval warfare and maritime security has seen a dramatic change in the last decade, with important nations conceptualizing and developing underwater drone systems. Major Powers like Russia, USA and China have taken a lead in the development of such systems. Considering the possibility of great power rivalry in the Indo-Pacific in the coming future, and the rise of Chinese naval activities in Indian Ocean Region, it has become absolutely necessary for India to design, develop, manufacture and operate such Maritime Underwater Systems (MUS) to safeguard our oceans and coastlines and to ensure maritime security.
In the last few years, the policy makers and the armed forces have laid down emphasis on the indigenous development of weapons and platforms. In this regard, the Indian Government launched the ambitious 'Atmanirbhar-Bharat' initiative for self-reliance in the defence sector. But there are challenges and limitations which need to be resolved for the success of the MUS initiative. The key questions right now in front of us are: 1) what’s the status of indigenization of Maritime Underwater Systems? 2) Do we have an idea about the challenges in the operation of such systems? and 3) Do we have specific visions of what kind of technology and systems our navy needs? This article explores the above aspects briefly.
Current Indigenous MUS programs:
The current status of development of such MUS systems is at a very nascent and underdeveloped stage in India, where hardly any attention was paid earlier to design and develop such systems. In the past, the threat from underwater vehicles was not properly conceptualized by many nations. It was only at the end of the year 2019 that Russia first unveiled such functional systems.
At present, India's private sector is showing some interest in developing such systems, although in a very limited manner. Few notable companies are Larsen and Toubro (L&T), New Space Technology, Mahindra etc.i L&T has already been at the forefront during the design and development of India's indigenous nuclear submarine INS Arihant. Hence, it’s leading from the front in the development of AUV systems. The below mentioned are few notable key developments in India -
L&T is currently developing 3 Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). The first one is named Adamya. It has been designed in house by L&T. It has a diameter of around 533 mm. and can be fired or launched from a submarine torpedo tube. It can carry both wet and dry payloads and it can perform various multi-missions like mine detection, oceanography etc. It weighs around 1000 kgs and can operate at a depth of around 500 meters, can travel with a maximum speed of 4 knots and has an endurance of 8 hours.ii
The second AUV being developed by L&T is Amogh, which is a third generation AUV. It's being developed under a joint collaboration with an Italian company M/s Edgelab. This AUV weighs around 1000 kgs and is equipped with many state of the art sensors. It has got powerful propulsion and it is capable of hydrography, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Amogh speed is around 5 knots, operates at a depth of 1000 meters and has an endurance of around 22 hours. Unfortunately, it can't be fired from the torpedo tube of any submarine because its diameter is around 700 mm.iii
The third AUV being developed by L&T is named Maya. At present the technique is not disclosed. It can carry both commercial and scientific payloads. It can operate at depths of 200 meters and can work as an expandable target as well as for inspection purposes. The endurance of Maya is around 6 hours, with a speed of 3 knots. It's a lightweight AUV, weighing around 55 kgs and having a diameter of around 234 mm.iv
The fourth product being developed by L&T is a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), to be used for underwater research. The technique has been provided by National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai. These types of vessels can dive into the deep sea. The name given is Rosub-6000 which is a class 3 variant and can dive up to 6000 meters. L&T is also developing another class 2 variant ROV named SROV, which can be used for object recovery purposes.v
The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI) has successfully developed a prototype of an AUV, named AUV-150 and completed sea trials in March 2017. This prototype can travel at speeds of 4 knots, at depths of around 500 meters and has diameter of around 0.5 meters. It has been primarily designed for oceanography.vi
'Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services' (INCOIS) has successfully tested Slocum (seawater) glider. This glider is a long-range glider, capable of traveling deep inside the sea. It can do missions like wave monitoring and oceanography. With the use of these gliders various information can be gathered from oceans for use in defence, surveillance or any other civilian use application. These gliders travel with the help of buoyancy. The buoyancy of the vehicle is varied to generate propelling thrust. The wings provided in it help it to provide lift and give a forward motion. These can operate with speeds of 10-40 m/s with an endurance of several months.vii
Developmental Challenges:
The present challenges in development of such indigenous MUS are of various kinds, right from research and development, lack of funds, lack of enough production lines, lack of sufficient test beds, absence of support and vision from the Government and Defence Ministry, absence of guidance from the Navy about what kind of systems and requirements they need etc. We have to keep in mind that the present underwater drones being developed by the private or public industry in India are being developed only from the point of view of intelligence gathering, surveillance or research purposes.
The bigger and the most important challenge in front of us is how to develop systems which can carry out defensive or offensive operations under subsurface conditions because other major nations are also progressing faster in developing such systems. Right now, the underwater drones being developed in India are not capable of launching any attack to neutralize any enemy targets like submarines, carrier battle groups, naval ships etc. Whereas Russia and China have already developed such systems.
The Russian marine drone named Poseidon or Status-6 is basically a high-speed torpedo which has autonomous guidance and propulsion and can carry a nuclear warhead.viiiSimilarly, India's adversary China is reported to have begun work on development of such unmanned underwater drones since 1990's. In the year 2021, China revealed the details of such systems being tested in the Taiwan Strait, which was published in an academic 'Journal of Harbin Engineering University'. In this test, an unloaded torpedo was also fired from such a system which was reported to have hit a simulated submarine target. This test was said to be performed in the year 2010, implying how powerful nations are secretly doing research and development keeping in mind the needs of the future warfare.ix
At present none of the system's being developed by Indian private sector industries or DRDO have given any presentation to develop such drones capable of performing offensive tasks. The next challenge is in the 'C4 domain', wherein we are still lagging behind in developing the 'Command, Control, Communication & Computer' aspects of these systems.We need to develop the entire ecosystem of how, where and who will control these systems once developed since right now they are being operated mostly by remote navigation for a very short duration and distance. Additionally, there is also a lack of proper manufacturing capacity in our shipbuilding industry at present which are designed only for naval ship and submarine production. The manpower in these shipyards is not trained properly and lack technical skills.
Technological Challenges:
In future, the challenges for developing and deployment of such underwater drones will also be very complicated. Basically, how an underwater drone will perform any offensive or defensive operation will primarily be dependent upon certain key factors, namely, it's propulsion systems, stealth features, navigation and guidance systems, weapon firing features etc. All the above key factors are also correlated. For example, in the case of a propulsion system, if the future need is to have more speed, then there will be an increase in the sound generation underwater coming from the engine installed and that will affect the stealth features of the drone.
If the drone is to be used in the form of an underwater loitering munition independently at a greater depth, then it's warhead design will have to be installed with a seeker to track its target which will increase its load capacity, which in turn will require additional thrust from the propulsion system. We all know that as we go deeper by 10 meters inside water, the pressure rises by 1 bar which affects the speed and propulsion accordingly.
Regarding the submarine launched Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) of larger dimensions carrying various payloads or equipments; we have to keep in mind issues while launching it from a submarine. The first way to launch such a UUV is when the submarine is brought to a particular depth, near the sea surface; the UUV can be launched from a tower attached to the sail of the submarine. The issue here will be that the submarine has to come to the surface to launch which will compromise its position if its operating in enemy territory. Another disadvantage will be that the submarine will need to be modified to attach a mast.
The second way to launch the UUV is by launching it at a depth of 20-30 meters where the drone will be packed inside a canister. When the submarine will release this canister, due to the weight it will rise up and then open to eject the drone which being lightweight and powered by a battery will come to the surface. To maintain stability, a 'float-collar' will be provided, which will maintain the rate of climb and the water droughts present will provide stabilization. The challenge here will be how to modify the dimensions of the launch tube of the submarine which are positioned vertically since the diameter will become lesser with the addition of canister.
The third way to launch the UUV will be through launching it from the torpedo tubes of the submarine. Here also the drone will be packed inside a canister. For this type of launch, any particular depth can be chosen, but for communication the submarine has to rise to an appropriate depth. In this type of launch mechanism, the driving mechanism for UUV tube also needs to be provided. The challenge here is to modify and alter the dimensions of the torpedo tubes since there will be high probability of the mismatch in the diameter of the torpedo tubes and the diameter of the UUV.
Earlier we have already seen challenges in the Indian Navy's process of installation of Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) where the AIP installation has been stalled due to lack of enough operational prototype submarines for testing and they have been postponed till the next refit. A similar kind of scenario may develop in the modification of the launch tubes of submarines.
Future Scope & Recommendations:
Even though the underwater drone ecosystem is very new and not mature in India at present, a determined approach and strong vision is required to make sure the future of maritime underwater systems is bright and strong. It's only when new ideas and initiatives are conceptualized, then only the required platform can be designed or developed. Without any futuristic visions, no nation can progress in developing its own weapon systems and will always rely on foreign imports. The below are few important areas we need to focus upon-
As technology changes in the future, so will the weapon systems. In future, the propulsion systems of such AUVs will be nuclear powered. At present only Russia is reported to have developed such a nuclear-powered underwater drone named Poseidon. We need to focus towards developing such nuclear-powered marine engines, which can propel such AUVs. This will increase the stealth as well as the endurance of AUVs. Already we have built a nuclear-powered submarine Arihant with little bit of help from Russia.
The design of such a small miniaturized nuclear reactor to be used in an AUV will be a mammoth challenge. So, to achieve that, a lot of investment needs to be put into research. For that the research institutions should collaborate and work in mission mode to build a prototype. If required, a 'Special Purpose Vehicle' (SPV) model should be created to start research and development with help of institutions like DRDO, CSIR, BARC, etc. This same SPV model has been created for development of fighter engines for our indigenous 'AMCA' program.
For small dimension AUVs, more research test beds to study their characteristics should be developed and for this purpose, the use of rivers and other water bodies can be considered an option. Simulated environment similar to the seas can be created using artificial means and that can act as test beds. This will probably help reduce the burden of research establishments to wait for suitable arrangements from the navy for their test and data analysis purposes. This will also encourage 'Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises’ (MSMEs) and public and private academic institutions to test their products or prototypes without any hassles like regulatory approvals, bureaucratic approvals etc. in these facilities.
The use of depth charge in anti-submarine warfare (ASW) has been done traditionally. It will also make our ASW operations more potent when we can use these AUVs tipped with powerful explosives and payloads to be used as a depth charge. They can be released vertically downwards, with help of their navigation systems, from ships or subsurface vehicles and can prove to be very lethal. If a propulsion system is used to send it vertically downwards towards the submarine, then it will reach the required depth at a very faster speed with lesser time, making the enemy submarine vulnerable. Additionally, they can also be designed and customized to be dropped from our 'P8i Poseidon' aircrafts used by the Indian Navy for ASW operations in the IOR region.
Our research institutions should also pay attention towards in-house development of other forms of MUS like unmanned underwater 'wave gliders'. The 'wave gliders' are those robotic entities that can swim in the sea surface in submerged conditions for long distances in autonomous mode or via controlled mode. The power required to run these kinds of robots is through solar panels. This platform primarily contains 2 elements. First is called 'Float', which is at the surface and through Float, a second element of a submersible platform is attached through an umbilical cable. The 2nd element, submerged in the sea, contains many fins. These fins automatically move, but if we desire higher speed, then a thruster can also be attached to the submersible platform inside the sea.
In normal conditions the fins are more than enough to propel the entity due to sea currents or wave motion. The power requirement of the thruster is through an umbilical cord attached to the solar panel. The wave glider modular platform includes a powerful computing environment, multiple configurable sensor modules, solar modules, and battery pack for real time communication. An additional arrangement can be made for towed sonobuoy, various towed sonar arrays, or any other towed payload. These wave gliders can travel at speeds of 3-4 knots. They can have an endurance of 3-4 months since power is generated through solar panels. Primarily the navy can use these platforms for surveillance, and in minesweeping operations. As far as solar connection is concerned, 192 watts power can be used. For communication, C-Band and Wi-Fi and satellite communication can be provided.x The Indigenous development of these gliders can reduce our dependence of imports in future.xi
The transition of an underwater drone into a weapon like a cruise missile is a dynamic, futuristic and a challenging concept. Right now, we are developing submarine launched cruise missiles. These are designed to be launched horizontally from submarine torpedo tubes. But underwater drones can be also developed into a cruise missile provided we master the technique of changing the propulsion of the drone system from a vehicle under the sea medium to a missile in the air medium. Naturally the drag and resistance inside the sea is higher than in air. Hence the speed of underwater drones is a bit slower in water than in air. So basically, when the drone detects a target, like any ship, it can come to the surface and release fin or wing-like structure.
If the propulsion can transform & increase, the wings can automatically generate enough lift to transform the drone like a cruise missile which can be used as an anti-ship weapon. The drone head can be fitted with Radio-Frequency (RF) seekers for anti- ship operations and Electro - Optical (EO) seekers for land attack operations. Additional use of higher-grade technology like Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC), Artificial- Intelligence (AI) and GPS navigation can be used to reach the target. This will also enable the drones to operate under night conditions. All this will be a remarkable breakthrough in naval warfare.
The participation and collaboration of academic institutions with 'Public and Private Research Institutes' and industries should be increased and encouraged. There is immense opportunity for our youth to contribute towards issues of national security. Latest example being the development of AUV Matsya by students and researchers from 'Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’xii and AUV Black Pearl being developed by students of 'Mahindra Ecole Centrale'.xiii
Conclusion:
The above brief analysis shows that there is still a lot of scope and requirement of research and development in India to make India self-reliant in areas of development of underwater drones, specially those with offensive capacities. Therefore, with suitable and urgent adaptation of innovative and bold out of the box thinking and policies the corresponding challenges can be tackled. Finally, it has to be resolved that Underwater drones aren’t be a platform to be imported for a nation like India.
References:
i Chandan Nandy, “India to soon deploy underwater drones in Indian Ocean region, South China Sea”, The New Indian Express, 11 June 2022, https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2022/jun/11/india-to-soon-deploy-underwater-drones-in-indian-ocean-region-south-china-sea-2464475.html
ii Huma Siddiqui, “Indian Navy seeks indigenous underwater aerial vehicles to optimize unmanned tech: Know all about it”, Financial Times, 9 December 2022, https://www.financialexpress.com/defence/indian-navy-seeks-indigenous-underwater-aerial-vehicles-to-optimise-unmanned-tech-know-all-about-it/2907602/
iii Edge Lab, “Amogh: the dependable underwater survey vehicle”, n.d, http://www.edgelab.eu/our-products/auvs/u-deep
iv National Institute of Oceanography,“Autonomous Underwater Vehicles”, n.d, https://www.nio.org/research/technologies/autonomous-underwater-vehicles-auv
v M. Somasekar, “L&T Defence to make unmanned remote operating vehicle that can scan sea surface”, Business Line, 30 April, 2018, https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/lt-defence-to-make-unmanned-remote-operating-vehicle-that-can-scan-sea-surface/article23729502.ece
vi S. Anandan, “Sea trials of Autonomous Underwater Vehicle to be conducted this month-end”, The Hindu, 13 October 2016, https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/Sea-trials-of-Autonomous-Underwater-Vehicle-to-be-conducted-this-month-end/article15503981.ece
vii V. Geetanath, “INCOIS gliders to track changes in ocean eco-system”, The Hindu, 6 February 2021, https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/incois-gliders-to-track-changes-in-ocean-eco-system/article33763270.ece
viii Natalie Hunt, “What is Russia's Poseidon nuclear drone and could it wipe out the UK in a radioactive tsunami?”, Euronews.com, 5 May 2022, https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/05/04/what-is-russia-s-poseidon-nuclear-drone-and-could-it-wipe-out-the-uk-in-a-radioactive-tsun
ix Stephen Cheng, “China reveals secret programme of unmanned drone submarines dating back to 1990s”, South China Morning Post, 8 July 2021, https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3140220/china-reveals-secret-programme-unmanned-drone-submarines-dating
x Liquid Robotics, “Converting Wave Motion into Propulsion”, n.d, https://www.liquid-robotics.com/wave-glider/how-it-works/
xi Boeing, “Wave Gliders”, n.d, https://www.boeing.com/defense/autonomous-systems/wave-glider/
xii Shilpa Inamdar Joshi, “Matsya–The Indigenous Autonomous Underwater Vehicle”, Research Matters, 3 March 2022, https://researchmatters.in/news/matsya%E2%80%93-indigenous-autonomous-underwater-vehicle
xiii Motown India Bureau, “Mahindra Ecole Centrale develops Autonomous Underwater Vehicle”, Motown India, 20 January 2020, https://www.motownindia.com/Bureau/Auto-Industry/2697/Mahindra-Ecole-Centrale-develops-Autonomous-Underwater-Vehicle-Motown-India-Bureau
