India’s journey towards becoming a Vikshit Samriddha Bharat by 2047 depends significantly on secure maritime corridors. Nearly 95% of national trade by volume travels through sea routes, and India’s coastline spanning over 11,000 km makes maritime security a national priority. The Indian Navy today is not just a warfighting institution but a pillar supporting economic growth, national sovereignty, and regional stability.
A combat-ready and cohesive naval force built on indigenous technologies is essential for long-term operational autonomy. Indigenous defence development ensures sustained capability, reduced logistic dependency, and alignment with India’s unique maritime requirements.
Redefining Combat Capability
Modern combat readiness extends beyond fleet numbers. The contemporary battlefield spans multiple domains, including maritime surface, sub-surface, air, cyber, electromagnetic spectrum and increasingly space-based systems. The Navy must respond to threats ranging from traditional blue water conflicts to fast-evolving asymmetric challenges near the coastline.
Indigenous defence innovation has played a critical role in enabling scalable modernisation. Programmes such as the Ministry of Defence iDEX ecosystem have opened structured collaborations between startups, MSMEs and the armed forces. The result is an ecosystem where capability development cycles are shorter, requirements are India-specific, and technology advancement is continuous.
Autonomous Platforms: Extending Reach and Presence
Autonomous maritime systems are transforming naval operations and presence. Unmanned underwater vehicles, autonomous surface craft, and long-endurance aerial platforms reduce operational strain on manned assets while enabling persistent surveillance, reconnaissance and mission support.
These platforms are particularly relevant for India, where vast ocean spans must be monitored with limited deployment capacity. Autonomous systems support operations such as mine countermeasure work, anti-submarine tracking, maritime patrolling, and infrastructure monitoring in challenging environments, often without exposing personnel to risk.
Modern naval platforms generate massive volumes of data from radars, electro-optical systems, sonar arrays, and communication intelligence. Artificial intelligence is redefining how the Navy processes this information to arrive at actionable insights
Future naval fleets will combine manned and unmanned platforms operated through secure data networks. Indigenous development ensures that these systems are designed according to Indian doctrines rather than adapted from foreign frameworks.
AI: Enhancing Decision Making and Operational Efficiency
Modern naval platforms generate massive volumes of data from radars, electro-optical systems, sonar arrays, and communication intelligence. Artificial intelligence is redefining how the Navy processes this information to arrive at actionable insights.
AI-based systems enable faster threat detection, classification, predictive maintenance, fuel optimisation, logistics planning, and operational readiness forecasting. When trained on Indian oceanographic, environmental, and operational patterns, these systems become highly relevant to Indian deployments.
Human oversight remains essential. The goal is to balance where technology supports decision-making while operational command remains with trained officers.
Strengthening Coastal Security against Emerging Threats
India’s coastline includes industrial hubs, ports, naval bases, tourism nodes, offshore assets and dense fishing economies. This creates a large and diverse security perimeter. The 26/11 Mumbai attack demonstrated the impact of small coordinated threats that exploit gaps in maritime awareness.
Technology proliferation has expanded these risks. Commercial drones, improvised maritime vehicles, and hybrid threats require layered defences that combine detection, electronic disruption and controlled response measures.
Indigenous counter-drone solutions designed for harsh maritime environments have begun filling this requirement. Systems are now engineered for sea humidity, wind variation, and vessel motion, improving reliability in operational deployments.
India’s coastline includes industrial hubs, ports, naval bases, tourism nodes, offshore assets and dense fishing economies. This creates a large and diverse security perimeter. The 26/11 Mumbai attack demonstrated the impact of small coordinated threats that exploit gaps in maritime awareness
Integrated Surveillance and Multi-Sensor Fusion
Persistent maritime awareness depends on an integrated and collaborative surveillance capability rather than isolated sensors. Multi-sensor fusion platforms combine radar, AIS feeds, EO systems, RF interception tools and satellite inputs into unified operational views.
Algorithms trained for Indian waters understand region-specific patterns, including monsoon interference, high-density fishing corridors, and coastal trade routes. Such context-aware systems reduce false alarms and improve operator efficiency.
Once deployed across coastal states, naval commands and port authorities, these systems significantly strengthen national maritime situational awareness.
Non-Lethal Response Frameworks
Modern maritime security missions often involve grey-zone interactions where hostile intent may not be immediately clear. Anti-piracy operations, illegal fishing monitoring, and maritime smuggling detection require response options that are proportional and controlled.
Indigenous development of non-lethal maritime deterrence equipment enables naval commanders to escalate response layers gradually before employing lethal force. This improves compliance, reduces escalation risks and aligns with international maritime responsibility expectations.
Interoperability and Joint Operational Cohesion
True cohesion requires systems across the Navy to communicate seamlessly with each other, and in joint missions with the Army, Air Force and strategic agencies. Indigenous platforms allow interoperability requirements to be included during development, reducing long-term integration and upgrade challenges.
In 2025, Big Bang Boom Solutions became one of the first iDEX-supported companies to export a defence solution to a friendly nation, demonstrating both capability and global competitiveness. Such exports are also tools of diplomacy, strengthening regional partnerships and collective maritime stability
This approach is now visible in operational ecosystems where autonomous systems, maritime sensors, AI tools and command networks function as coordinated capability clusters.
Export Ecosystem and Strategic Partnerships
As Indian defence systems mature, allied partner nations seeking cost-efficient and reliable solutions are showing increased interest in indigenous capability. In 2025, Big Bang Boom Solutions became one of the first iDEX-supported companies to export a defence solution to a friendly nation, demonstrating both capability and global competitiveness. Such exports are also tools of diplomacy, strengthening regional partnerships and collective maritime stability.
Preparing Personnel for Future Naval Warfare
Technology advancement must be accompanied by a corresponding evolution in training. Officers and sailors of the future will operate hybrid fleets supported by AI-enabled systems and autonomous mission assets. Indigenous simulation platforms, digital training ranges and naval combat learning systems ensure training aligns with Indian doctrine and deployment environments.
The Road Ahead
Challenges remain in scaling naval innovation. Access to test infrastructure, specialised maritime engineering facilities, and long-cycle funding remains critical. Public-private partnerships, modular procurement models, and expanded test ranges will accelerate development momentum.
Challenges remain in scaling naval innovation. Access to test infrastructure, specialised maritime engineering facilities, and long-cycle funding remains critical. Public-private partnerships, modular procurement models, and expanded test ranges will accelerate development momentum
Summing Up
The Indian Navy’s pursuit of a combat-ready, cohesive and Aatmanirbhar force structure represents more than capability expansion. It is a strategic commitment to sovereignty, security and national prosperity.
Maritime security protects trade, supports energy independence, and strengthens India’s position as a responsible regional power. A self-reliant defence industrial base ensures that capabilities can evolve and expand without external constraints.
As India moves towards 2047, the Navy and the domestic defence innovation ecosystem will play decisive roles in securing the nation’s maritime future.
The writer is Co-Founder of Big Bang Boom Solutions
