February 17, 2014: The Indian Navy is now keenly tracking an advanced programme unveiled at the recently concluded Defexpo event: the Adamya autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) developed and built in-house by L&T Heavy Engineering. While the navy has a stated requirement for AUVs, the Adamya has caught its attention for a reason. According to L&T, "Adamya is the next step into the world of unmanned naval warfare and coastal defence. Its unique design allows it to be launched from the torpedo tube of a submarine—a pioneering feat globally."

L&T has highlighted several features on the Adamya to the Navy, including the fact that the vehicle's modular design and depth-rated shells enable mission customisation as per the Navy's needs without having to resort to pressure-proofing of the internal electronic systems. Other qualities include short turnaround time and ability to be air-shipped conveniently. The Adamya is being pitched for naval applications that include hydrographic survey (the Hydrography Dept. incidentally is also looking for AUVs), mine countermeasures, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance (ISR), offshore survey, clandestine monitoring, environmental monitoring and optional anti-submarine warfare. The 18.7 feet, 850 kg platform sports an endurance of 8 hours at 4 knots (with maximum forward speed of 6 knots) with a customisable depth rating of 500 metres.