Indian Navy to acquire underwater remotely operated vehicle from domestic company

Coratia Technologies will supply its ‘Jalasimha' underwater remotely operated vehicle (pictured) to the Indian Navy. (Coratia Technologies)

The Indian Navy has awarded a contract worth INR660 million (USD7.4 million) to domestic company Coratia Technologies to acquire an underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that can support surveillance operations.

Debendra Pradhan, co-founder and CEO of Coratia Technologies, told Janes that the company will supply an undisclosed number of its Jalasimha underwater ROV to the Indian Navy, and has started manufacturing these systems at its facility in the eastern state of Odisha.

Jalasimha has undergone pressure-chamber testing and open-sea trials in the Bay of Bengal. It has cleared trials at more than 1,485 ft depth with over 12 hours of endurance and has a top speed of 3 kt, Pradhan said.

“Its integrated sensor suite, consisting of multibeam sonar, leak-detection probes, stereo-vision systems, and artificial intelligence (AI)-based analytics, enables extended operations without operator fatigue or costly redeployments.

“By integrating AI-enabled diagnostics and sensor fusion, including multibeam sonar, echosounders, and 360° imaging, the Jalasimha platform will also shorten mission timelines and improve data reliability,” Pradhan added.

Pradhan said Jalasimha can be deployed to enhance surveillance and support operations such as port security, hull inspection, and subsea cable monitoring. According to company specifications, Jalasimha also has an integrated robotic arm that enables manipulation of underwater objects to execute maintenance tasks or salvage targets.

Pradhan declined to provide additional details about the contract from the Indian Navy due to the confidential nature of the information.

Pradhan added that Coratia Technologies has also developed two more underwater ROVs called Jaladuta and Navya that have dual-use applications such as hydrographic surveys, environmental monitoring, and rescue operations.