New Delhi [India], November 15 (HBTV): A new generation of Man-portable Autonomous Underwater Vehicles has been successfully developed by the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory, Visakhapatnam, of the Defence Research and Development Organisation for mine countermeasure missions, the Ministry of Defence said in a release.
The system comprises multiple autonomous underwater vehicles equipped with side scan sonar and underwater cameras as primary payloads for real-time detection and classification of mine-like objects. The onboard deep learning-based target recognition algorithms enable autonomous classification, reducing operator workload and mission time.
A robust underwater acoustic communication system has also been integrated to facilitate inter-vehicle data exchange during operations, ensuring enhanced situational awareness.
Recently concluded field trials at NSTL Harbour validated key system parameters and critical mission objectives. Multiple industry partners are involved in system realisation, and production is expected to begin in the coming months.
Secretary, Department of Defence R&D and Chairman DRDO Dr Samir V Kamat complimented the NSTL team for the successful development of the system, calling it a major milestone towards a deployable, intelligent, and networked mine countermeasure solution. He said it offers rapid response capability with reduced operational risk and logistic footprint for naval mine warfare applications.
(ANI)