New Delhi: The Indian Navy is rapidly advancing its Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) swarm capabilities in a strategic push to strengthen maritime security across India’s 7,500-kilometre coastline.
Placed at the heart of future naval operations, these autonomous swarms are set to revolutionise littoral surveillance and response by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and high degrees of autonomy—marking a significant shift from traditional manned platforms to next-generation unmanned systems.
Background of TPCR 2025
In recent years, navies worldwide have begun integrating autonomous platforms into their fleets to augment traditional assets.
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In India’s context, this transition is guided by the Technology Perspective and Capability Roadmap (TPCR) 2025, a comprehensive defence strategy that charts long-term technological priorities, including hypersonic systems, directed-energy weapons, and unmanned systems across the three services.
USVs are vessels capable of operating on the sea surface without onboard human crews. Their ability to execute reconnaissance, surveillance, and combat support missions autonomously or under limited remote supervision has made them increasingly relevant to maritime defence.
What Are USV Swarms and Importance
Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) swarms refer to coordinated groups of autonomous vessels that can operate collectively to achieve shared objectives. In naval operations, swarm USVs use AI-driven algorithms to synchronise maneuvers, share sensor data, and execute complex mission profiles without continuous human intervention.
Such distributed systems offer several key advantages:
Persistent Maritime Surveillance: Multiple vessels can maintain continuous observation over broad ocean areas without fatigue or risk to human life.
Force Multiplication: Swarms can overwhelm adversaries through numbers and coordinated tactics, enabling an asymmetric edge in littoral regions.
Multi-Role Operational Capability: From intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to electronic warfare and direct kinetic engagement, USVs enhance flexibility across mission sets.
These attributes are particularly vital in littoral zones—the coastal waters extending from the shoreline to deeper sea—which are complex, congested environments presenting unique challenges for manned platforms.
Strategic Impetus of TPCR 2025 and Atmanirbhar Bharat Goals
The rapid acceleration of the naval USV programme is anchored in the TPCR 2025, a defence technology roadmap issued by India’s Ministry of Defence that seeks to prepare the armed forces for emerging multi-domain threats over the next decade and beyond.
A key feature of the TPCR is its emphasis on indigenisation under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative—promoting domestic design, development, and manufacturing of advanced defence technologies.
As part of this vision, the Indian Navy has approved the procurement of 12 indigenous autonomous surface vessels capable of long-range unmanned operations. India’s private sector, including firms such as Sagar Defence Engineering, has been actively involved in building and trialling these vehicles, including weaponised variants designed for coordinated swarm deployments.
Integration with Wider Unmanned Ecosystem
The USV swarming concept is not standalone but part of a broader unmanned maritime ecosystem under development by the Indian Navy:
Aerial Unmanned Systems: Cooperation between USVs and maritime drones like the Navy’s Abhimanyu enhances real-time threat tracking, reconnaissance, and strike capabilities.
Underwater Vehicles: Future integration with unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) promises multi-domain coverage beneath and above the sea surface.
This integrated unmanned force structure is designed to provide asymmetric warfare advantages, allowing India to monitor, deter, and respond to threats more effectively across the Indian Ocean Region and Indo-Pacific theatre.
Technological Advances and Demonstrations of TPCR 2025
Recent trials and technological demonstrations have showcased the potential of autonomous swarm tactics. Some USV platforms are designed to perform AI-orchestrated saturation attacks, where coordinated manoeuvres are used to neutralise larger or more heavily armed surface combatants through sheer numbers and algorithmic precision.
Funding initiatives like the Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) programme further support scalable, cost-effective development of these autonomous systems, reinforcing the government’s commitment to defence technology innovation.
