India launches project to develop XL Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

India’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has launched an ambitious project to design and develop Extra Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (XLUUVs), according to a document released by the MoD in March.

According to the document, the Indian Navy plans to acquire up to 12 XLUUVs after a prototype has been constructed and successfully tested.

The document reveals that the XLUUV may have a maximum length with a payload of up to 50 meters, a width of up to 5 meters, a height of no more than 10 meters, and a gross weight without ballast under 300 tons. If built to these specifications, it would be among the largest submarine drones envisioned so far, comparable to Germany’s Modifiable Underwater Mothership, the US Navy’s Orca XLUUV, and Russia’s Sarma- D, which are all in their prototyping phases. China is also working on several XLUUV projects.

The project is still in its early stages, and specifications may change significantly as it progresses.

The XLUUV is intended for various roles, including intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR), anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and mine warfare. Autonomous capabilities are a crucial requirement for the vessel, which must be able to deploy from a pier, operate in shallow and restricted waters, and return to the harbor independently. The XLUUV must also be transportable by motherships and land-based trailers.

The MoD is considering an external payload of up to 10 tons of armament, including the possibility of installing two 533 mm torpedo tubes and mine-laying capabilities for the XLUUV. The submerged maximum speed is specified as at least 8 knots, with a cruising speed of over 4 knots. Propulsion options could include integrated thrusters or propellers powered by electric motors. The XLUUV must have a maximum endurance of more than 45 days, using either Li-Po/ Li-ion batteries or a fuel cell-based Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system as its power source. A diesel generator might be used to recharge any batteries.

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