NEW DELHI: The Indian Navy’s next frontier of self-reliance lies not in shipbuilding, but in mastering critical technologies, from AI-enabled combat systems and autonomous platforms to quantum-secure networks and sovereign design capability, outgoing Navy chief Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi told this newspaper in one of his final interviews before demitting office on Sunday.
He said the Navy is currently steering about 140 major R&D projects across 25 Defence Research and Development Organisation laboratories.
“The next frontier of indigenisation lies in critical technologies and sovereign design capability. The Indian Navy’s modernisation story is increasingly being written in Indian shipyards and Indian laboratories,” he said.
On the subsurface domain, he said the Navy is in the final stages of procuring six next-generation conventional submarines equipped with Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) under Project-75(I). Also, a contract for 31 MQ-9B Sky/Sea Guardian high-altitude long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft has been placed, with deliveries beginning in 2029.
“The undersea domain remains central to maritime deterrence. It is not just about having submarines but about having underwater domain awareness and the ability to respond faster than any potential adversary,” he said.
On carrier aviation, Tripathi identified the Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter as the cornerstone of India’s long-term indigenous carrier air power roadmap. “The future must be shaped by an indigenous carrier-borne fighter ecosystem to secure our national maritime interests, anytime, anywhere, anyhow,” he said. The strategic necessity of Carrier Battle Groups was aptly demonstrated during Operation Sindoor, when their deployment forced the adversary’s navy to remain confined to ports and the Makran coast, he said.
Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan will succeed Tripathy as the next Navy chief.