The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a new generation of man-portable autonomous underwater vehicles (MP AUVs) designed to carry out mine countermeasure missions.

This system has been built by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) in Visakhapatnam, and it brings together a group of small AUVs fitted with Side Scan Sonar and underwater cameras so they can detect and identify mine-like objects in real time.

These vehicles are supported by deep learning based target recognition tools that let them classify targets on their own, which eases the pressure on operators and helps finish missions faster.

DRDO has also added a reliable underwater acoustic communication system so the AUVs can exchange data with each other during operations, which makes it easier to understand the surroundings and complete missions in a coordinated way.

Recent field trials at the NSTL harbour have confirmed the key system features and major mission requirements, and this has become an important step toward deployment. Several industry partners are helping in building the system, and production is likely to begin soon.

Secretary, Department of Defence R and D and DRDO Chairman Dr Samir V Kamat congratulated the NSTL team and described the MP AUVs as a major milestone in creating deployable, intelligent and networked mine countermeasure systems. He said the system gives a rapid response, lowers operational risk and reduces the logistical load for naval mine warfare tasks.