East Tech 2022: Saif Seas delivers rescue and surveillance USV to Indian Navy

Saif Seas has delivered 50 “remote-operated buoys” (pictured above), which can be used for rescue and surveillance operations, to the Indian Navy. (Janes/Oishee Majumdar)

Kolkata-based Saif Seas has delivered “50 pieces” of its “remote-operated buoy” to the Indian Navy and will be delivering 50 more by the end of 2022, Taher Calcuttawala, co-founder and chief operating officer of the company, told Janes at East Tech 2022, held in Kolkata by the Indian Army's Eastern Command on 7 and 8 July.

The battery-operated unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is designed for rescue but can be customised for various other missions by fitting it with “HD cameras, robotic probes, or weaponry”, Calcuttawala said.

While the USV was initially designed to rescue one person, the system has been enhanced and tested to have the capability of rescuing “at least three people” weighing up to 300 kg, Calcuttawala added.

He told Janes that Saif Seas is in talks with the Indian Army to supply the USV for surveillance purposes and hopes that a deal will be established soon.

The company has given a demonstration to the Indian Army in Leh, in India's northern union territory of Ladakh, about how the USV can be utilised for surveillance, Calcuttawala said.

Saif Seas has also demonstrated the capabilities of the USV to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in Varanasi and Pune, Calcuttawala added.

“We [Saif Seas] recently supplied one USV to the Pangong Lake for the NDRF team,” Calcuttawala said.

The Pangong Lake, also known as Pangong Tso, located in eastern Ladakh, has been a site of dispute between India and China with military forces of both the countries focused on improving infrastructure and facilities around the area.