The hidden technology keeping warships in the fight
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "The hidden technology keeping warships in the fight")
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Speaking to WION's Defence Pulse, Ravalnath Shende, Chairman and Managing Director of Shree Refrigerations Ltd, explains how failure to remove heat can degrade electronic equipment, force systems to shut down and potentially cause permanent damage.
Modern warships are often defined by what can be seen above deck: missiles, guns, radars and sensors. But deep inside the vessel sits another critical layer of technology without which many of these systems cannot operate effectively.
Thermal management is becoming increasingly important as warships evolve into floating hubs of electronics, computing and sensors. Powerful radars, electronic warfare suites, communication networks and combat-management systems all generate significant amounts of heat. Future technologies, including directed-energy weapons, could increase that thermal burden further.
Speaking to WION's Defence Pulse, Ravalnath Shende, Chairman and Managing Director of Shree Refrigerations Ltd, explains how failure to remove heat can degrade electronic equipment, force systems to shut down and potentially cause permanent damage. That makes thermal management a significant part of a warship's operational resilience.
Shende described the changing philosophy of naval design as “weapon maximum, ship minimum,” with more sophisticated electronics being packed into increasingly constrained spaces. “The system has to be size efficient,” Shende said, explaining that equipment must also be maintainable despite the restricted working spaces aboard warships.
The challenge becomes even more demanding aboard submarines, where machinery, electronics and crew operate together inside a confined environment. Cooling, ventilation, reliability and acoustic performance become essential for sustained underwater operations.
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For India, this relatively unseen technology also forms part of the wider defence indigenisation story. Shende recalled how his company's entry into naval refrigeration began with a small requirement that demanded stringent naval specifications and eventually required specialised testing facilities capable of simulating conditions aboard a vessel.
The technology below deck may never launch a missile or detect an incoming aircraft. But as warships become increasingly electronic, keeping their sensors, weapons and computers cool is becoming just as important for keeping the ship in the fight.
