Indian Navy to get unmanned underwater vehicles: DRDO

Coimbatore, Aug 24 (UNI)Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chief Controller (R&D) Sivathanu Pillai said the Indian Navy will soon get Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV) for surveillance.

Speaking to mediapersons here yesterday, Dr Pillai said the Naval Science and Technological Laboratory (NSTL) at Visakhapatnam was developing a prototype of the UUV that would help the country attain self-reliance in underwater technology.

The Indian Navy had placed orders with the Bharat Dynamics Limited in Hyderabad to produce 'Advanced Experimental Torpedo' developed by the DRDO at NSTL.

This torpedo could be launched from water or air, locate and destroy enemy targets through its homing device, he added.

Dr Pillai said the DRDO would soon equip the Navy with minesweepers for removing undewater mines.

He said many countries were showing interest in the Brahmos missle and the government would take a decision on it.

He said investment in nanotechnology research was increasing rapidly with 50 billion US Dollar invested globally.

By 2015, the investment in the field will touch one trillion USD, he said, adding that in India, nano science and technology research was taking place in 37 institutions.

UNI