India, U.S. identify underwater domain awareness technologies for co-production in India

India and the U.S. enhance underwater domain awareness through ASIA, co-producing advanced UDA technologies for Indo-Pacific region.

India and the United States are scaling up their cooperation in underwater domain awareness (UDA), a key focus for both countries, with a new initiative, the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Washington.

The alliance is aimed at scaling up industry partnerships and production in the Indo-Pacific region,and has identified a range of UDA technologies for co-production in India, according to official sources.

Maritime domain awareness and, increasingly, underwater domain awareness have become key focus areas both at a bilateral level and among the Quad group — comprising India, Australia, Japan, and the U.S. — especially given the rapid expansion of the Chinese Navy and its increasing presence in the Indian Ocean region.

The U.S. has offered a few co-production and co-development opportunities for UDA technologies on a commercial basis, sources in the know said. “India is the very first country with whom the U.S. defence industry has offered to work with on these sensitive technologies,” a source said.

These technologies include the Sea Picket autonomous surveillance system with sonar acoustic array produced by Thayer Mahan; the Wave Glider unmanned surface vehicle systems; low frequency active towed sonar; multistatic active (MSA) sonobuoys; large diameter autonomous undersea vehicles produced by Andruil; and the Triton autonomous underwater and surface vehicle produced by Ocean Aero.

The joint statement issued after the talks between Mr. Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump said that the leaders pledged to accelerate defence technology cooperation across space, air defence, missile, maritime and undersea technologies, with the U.S. announcing a review of its policy on releasing fifth-generation fighters and undersea systems to India. 

Discussions are ongoing between the concerned U.S. companies and potential Indian partners regarding the identified technologies, sources said.