India is embarking on a major technological initiative to develop and deploy advanced undersea surveillance systems aimed at the early detection and tracking of submarines. This comes amid rising submarine activity in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), particularly from China, and reflects India’s commitment to safeguarding its maritime interests and critical sea routes.
The Indian Ocean has witnessed a sharp increase in foreign submarine deployments, with Chinese vessels frequently operating near Indian waters. These developments have heightened the need for robust surveillance to protect vital shipping lanes and maintain regional stability.
Active and passive sonar systems are deployed along the ocean floor in strategic zones such as the Ninety East Ridge, Bay of Bengal, and around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. These arrays can detect the acoustic signatures of submarines and other underwater vehicles. Naval ships and P-8I Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft are equipped with towed array sonars; long cables with hydrophones that trail behind vessels, capturing underwater sounds for analysis. This technology enables passive detection, allowing the Navy to monitor submarine movements without revealing its own position.
Airborne MAD sensors identify disruptions in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by large metallic objects, such as submarine hulls, providing another layer of detection. These highly sensitive cryogenic sensors can pick up faint electromagnetic signals emitted by submarines, further enhancing detection capabilities.The surveillance network is linked to India’s broader MDA framework, including satellite tracking and the Information Fusion Centre–IOR (IFC-IOR), which shares maritime data with over 40 countries.
India’s push for undersea surveillance is part of its broader “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (Self-Reliant India) initiative. The DRDO’s Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL) in Kochi is leading the technical development, building on indigenous sonar systems like Abhay and HUMSA-UG.