India’s DRDO Developing Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

India’s Defence Research and Development Organization is developing a High Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HEAUV).

“Maiden Surface run of High Endurance Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (HEAUV) meeting all the mission parameters were carried out successfully at Cochin Shipyard, International Ship Repair Facility(ISRF) Jetty, Kochi,” the DRDO tweeted.

No details of the HEAUV was provided. However, since the DRDO calls it a high endurance underwater vehicle, it is designed to stay underwater for long periods of time. Since this is the maiden surface run, underwater tests will probably follow next.

Underwater drones are a relatively new class of undersea vehicles capable of a variety of missions including surveillance, attack and sea bed monitoring. Only a handful of countries are working on this technology with projects in the U.S., UK., Russia and France in various stages of development.