France and India Strengthen Maritime Defence Ties with Autonomous Systems

France and India Strengthen Maritime Defence Ties with Autonomous Systems

The recent demonstration of the Seaquest S unmanned surface vessel (USV) by Naval Group to the Indian Defence Attaché in France marks a significant milestone in the growing bilateral defence cooperation between the two nations. The Seaquest S, developed by Naval Group's subsidiary Sirehna and the Couach-CNC shipyard, is a surface drone designed for both government and civilian use. It can be used for electronic warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and maritime surveillance, making it an attractive asset for the Indian Navy.

The Seaquest S is not a standalone vessel, but rather one of the many components of Naval Group's unmanned-systems family. The company has developed the Steeris Mission System to plan, supervise, and manage drone missions, which has been applied in French Navy exercises to handle Seaquest S missions and information gathered by the payloads on board. This integration of the vessel, mission-management software, and ship integration is crucial, as unmanned vessels are now expected to be part of a larger naval force rather than a standalone platform.

The demonstration of the Seaquest S is not a sign that India has picked and ordered the vessel or is considering it for acquisition evaluation. However, the technology would be useful in the Indian Navy for a number of purposes, including the persistent surveillance of the sea, distributed sensing, and unmanned operations. Foreign demonstration is also helpful to understand various approaches to autonomy, payload integration, and the operation of drones in a fleet, which India is developing its own family of unmanned surface and underwater systems.

Naval Group is already present in India with its wholly owned subsidiary, Naval Group India, which claims to assist the Indian Navy's Project-75 programme and undertakes technology indigenisation and life cycle support for the Kalvari-class submarines. The Seaquest S demonstration brings an element of unmanned systems to the already existing naval industrial relationship between India and France.

The growing importance of autonomous technologies in maritime defence partnerships is evident in the increasing number of countries investing in unmanned systems. The Indian Navy, in particular, has been actively exploring the use of unmanned systems to enhance its capabilities, including the development of its own family of unmanned surface and underwater systems. The demonstration of the Seaquest S is a significant step towards strengthening the maritime defence ties between France and India, and it is likely to have a positive impact on the development of autonomous systems in the region.

In conclusion, the demonstration of the Seaquest S USV by Naval Group to the Indian Defence Attaché in France marks a significant milestone in the growing bilateral defence cooperation between the two nations. The Seaquest S is a versatile unmanned surface vessel that can be used for a variety of purposes, including electronic warfare, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and its demonstration is likely to have a positive impact on the development of autonomous systems in the region.