India’s MoD has issued an Expression of Interest (EOI) to Indian Industrial Partners under the Technology Development Fund Scheme for the development of Underwater Launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (ULUAV) for the Indian Navy.
The project will oversee the development of a Switchblade Loitering Munition that can be launched from both Submerged Submarines and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles.
The Submarine-Launched Unmanned Aerial System will meet the tactical requirement of submarines by aiding intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and augmenting maritime domain awareness.
ULUAV will be equipped with a miniaturized both electro-optical and infrared sensors in its nose. It is unclear if there also will be an unarmed drone to provide enhanced sensor, communication, and cyber-security capabilities for the submarine. Development of a reconnaissance variant equipped with an electro-optic capability with reliable target solution analysis for discreet surveillance might also be considered.
