On July 8 2025, India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Indian Navy (IN), and associated industry partners for the successful development and testing of the Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket. He also highlighted the growing global demand for Indian defence equipment following ‘ Operation Sindoor’, whilst asserting that a ‘big market’ awaits India. However, his claim is at odds with India’s underwater assets, wherein capabilities remain nascent and India remains a major market for the world. Developing capabilities in Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA)—total situational undersea awareness through monitoring and profiling water columns and seabed is an urgent imperative for India. Essentially, China’s increasing submarine and Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV), the degrading marine environment and unexplored underwater and deep-sea resources in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) highlight the multifaceted necessity of UDA for India.
Addressing India’s Undersea Technological Deficiencies (Araudra Singh – Observer Research Foundation)
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