India is now moving towards this new underwater battlefield, with the industry working on increasingly large autonomous underwater vehicles that could perform surveillance, reconnaissance and other high-risk missions for the Indian Navy. The next naval war will not be fought only by warships and submarines. Beneath them could operate a growing fleet of autonomous machines carrying out missions without sailors on board.&nbsp;&nbsp;Going where submarines cannot&nbsp;Ankur Shah, Managing Director of Krishna Defence and Allied Industries Limited, shared on WION's Defence Pulse that large indigenously built autonomous underwater vehicles could begin operating with the Indian Navy within the next six to twelve months.&nbsp;&nbsp;Shah said the fundamental advantage of an AUV is its ability to enter areas where sending a crewed submarine may expose sailors to unacceptable risks. Such platforms could scout hostile waters, investigate mines and operate in areas that remain difficult or dangerous for crewed vessels.&nbsp;Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-tells-delhi-police-to-act-very-harsh-against-rape-case-accused-1791188582712">'Ensure every woman feels safe...': Supreme Court tells Delhi Police to act 'very harsh' against rape case accused</a>&nbsp;Jalkapi and the move towards larger AUVs&nbsp;India's Jalkapi project represents the next step in this transition. Shah described Jalkapi as belonging to the extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle category. He said platforms in this class could potentially travel around 1,000 nautical miles, remain underwater for approximately 21 days and undertake missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.&nbsp;Long endurance could allow navies to maintain an underwater presence without continuously deploying crewed submarines. But operating beneath the surface creates a technological challenge. GPS is not available underwater in the same manner as it is in the air, and continuous communication with an operator is difficult. Shah said present systems still require humans to define missions and parameters, but increasing autonomy could gradually reduce the level of human intervention.&nbsp;WATCH: <a href="https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DJdI59fEx8_I%26list%3DPLKwyKu6LhauQ%26index%3D3&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cvinay.sharma%40wionews.com%7C8381954a05604b641f0508df22c2cced%7Cd9454a4401f64fa99ad115ee73b1b80d%7C0%7C0%7C639267892191691501%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=x6Fj9ExkGciFroyoesgtOVeeVNl%2FVjPQNqReLTitOj4%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdI59fEx8_I&amp;list=PLKwyKu6LhauQ&amp;index=3</a>&nbsp;From surveillance to weapons&nbsp;The transformation may eventually go beyond reconnaissance. Recent trials by the United Kingdom and United States have demonstrated the Royal Navy's extra-large uncrewed underwater vessel XV Excalibur successfully launching and controlling a US Navy Mk 48 Mod 4 heavyweight torpedo, pointing towards a future in which autonomous underwater platforms could carry offensive weapons. The trial was conducted off Scotland under the AUKUS partnership involving the UK, US and Australia.&nbsp;Shah believes India could move in the same direction. Once an underwater vehicle possesses sufficient endurance and payload capacity, he said, it can potentially be configured not only with surveillance equipment but also to launch kinetic weapons such as heavyweight torpedoes.&nbsp;The development points towards a future where the submarine would remain central to undersea warfare, but some of the most dangerous missions could increasingly be handled by machines first. &nbsp;

Ankur Shah, Managing Director of Krishna Defence and Allied Industries Limited, said that large indigenously built autonomous underwater vehicles could begin operating with the Indian Navy within the next six to twelve months.

India is now moving towards this new underwater battlefield, with the industry working on increasingly large autonomous underwater vehicles that could perform surveillance, reconnaissance and other high-risk missions for the Indian Navy. The next naval war will not be fought only by warships and submarines. Beneath them could operate a growing fleet of autonomous machines carrying out missions without sailors on board. Going where submarines cannot Ankur Shah, Managing Director of Krishna Defence and Allied Industries Limited, shared on WION's Defence Pulse that large indigenously built autonomous underwater vehicles could begin operating with the Indian Navy within the next six to twelve months. Shah said the fundamental advantage of an AUV is its ability to enter areas where sending a crewed submarine may expose sailors to unacceptable risks. Such platforms could scout hostile waters, investigate mines and operate in areas that remain difficult or dangerous for crewed vessels. Also read: 'Ensure every woman feels safe...': Supreme Court tells Delhi Police to act 'very harsh' against rape case accused Jalkapi and the move towards larger AUVs India's Jalkapi project represents the next step in this transition. Shah described Jalkapi as belonging to the extra-large autonomous underwater vehicle category. He said platforms in this class could potentially travel around 1,000 nautical miles, remain underwater for approximately 21 days and undertake missions including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. Long endurance could allow navies to maintain an underwater presence without continuously deploying crewed submarines. But operating beneath the surface creates a technological challenge. GPS is not available underwater in the same manner as it is in the air, and continuous communication with an operator is difficult. Shah said present systems still require humans to define missions and parameters, but increasing autonomy could gradually reduce the level of human intervention. WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdI59fEx8_I&list=PLKwyKu6LhauQ&index=3 From surveillance to weapons The transformation may eventually go beyond reconnaissance. Recent trials by the United Kingdom and United States have demonstrated the Royal Navy's extra-large uncrewed underwater vessel XV Excalibur successfully launching and controlling a US Navy Mk 48 Mod 4 heavyweight torpedo, pointing towards a future in which autonomous underwater platforms could carry offensive weapons. The trial was conducted off Scotland under the AUKUS partnership involving the UK, US and Australia. Shah believes India could move in the same direction. Once an underwater vehicle possesses sufficient endurance and payload capacity, he said, it can potentially be configured not only with surveillance equipment but also to launch kinetic weapons such as heavyweight torpedoes. The development points towards a future where the submarine would remain central to undersea warfare, but some of the most dangerous missions could increasingly be handled by machines first.

Ankur Shah, Managing Director of Krishna Defence and Allied Industries Limited, said that large indigenously built autonomous underwater vehicles could begin operating with the Indian Navy within the next six to twelve months.

Indian Navy could operate indigenous underwater drones within a year, says Ankur Shah

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Indian Navy could operate indigenous underwater drones within a year, says Ankur Shah