BENGALURU: Indian Navy, which strives to keep itself abreast with technological developments to secure a decisive war-fighting advantage, has opened its doors to the citizens or entities who can bring critical technologies to the table.
“Indian Navy has always considered the industry as partners and not vendors. We intend to support our new partners with full zeal and enthusiasm in their endeavours to succeed and deliver new and unique technologies to the Naval Air Arm. I also intend to walk the extra mile and say that any Indian citizen or entity who can bring ‘critical technology’ to the table, our doors are always open, and we would jointly find a path to develop and operationalise these (technologies),” Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi said in the Atmanirbhar Indian Naval Aviation Technology Roadmap 2047.
The roadmap for the Naval Air Arm was released on Wednesday during a seminar on ‘Transition to Atmanirbhar Indian Naval Aviation 2047 (AINA 2047) and its associated ecosystem’, during the ongoing Aero India 2025 in Bengaluru.
The Navy Chief said the roadmap will serve as a guiding document for the Naval Air Arm and also for military technology innovators in India. It outlines the plan of the Naval Air Arm to leverage the technological revolution and changing character of warfare and ensure that the Navy remains capable of addressing future maritime security challenges.
The document prioritises self-reliance by encouraging the development of indigenous technologies and partnering with domestic industries for the production and integration of new systems. It also acknowledges the importance of global partnerships for technology transfers, joint research, and collaborative development projects.
The Naval Air Arm aims at significant advancements in enhancing network-centric warfare capabilities and modernisation of the fleet, it emphasises integrating uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) for various operations, including surveillance, reconnaissance, search, and combat roles, and to expand the reach and effectiveness of naval operations.
“Low-cost UAVs/drones have proven to be potent war-fighting machines during conflicts/wars in the first quarter of the 21st century. Therefore, the need of the hour is to have a credible air-launched cost-effective counter UAV system,” the document says.
It also mentions a concept of ‘Optional Manning’ of aerial platforms. “If the aerial platform is going for a routine or a high-risk mission, it can be sent as an unmanned vehicle. However, if human intervention is must in the mission, the platform could be manned by the pilot or requisite crew. Optional manning will be one of the primary qualitative requirements for all future platforms being developed for the Naval Air Arm,” the document adds.
In terms of inducting new platforms, it emphasises that the Navy requires 5th-generation war-fighting capability through the twin-engine deck-based fighter aircraft to replace the present fighter fleet. TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter) project is progressed through the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) for the design and development of a twin-engine, carrier-based, multi-role combat aircraft.
The Naval Air Arm envisages a fleet of over 400 aircraft in the next two decades and it aims to induct integral manned or uncrewed Air-to-Air Refueller Aircraft.
The Navy Chief invited domestic industry to work with the Navy to invent, innovate, indigenise, and integrate solutions. He said they are witnessing an unprecedented democratisation of the air domain.
In the past, credible naval aviation capabilities required immense industrial capacity, deep tactical expertise, and years of investment, he said and added that the barrier has eroded now, and commercially available systems can allow even non-state actors to deploy capable aerial platforms at sea.