01 September 2020

India's CMERI highlights indigenous underwater vehicle development

by Nishant Kumar

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), a state-affiliated Indian research and development (R&D) organisation overseen by the government’s Council of Scientific Research (CSIR), is looking to expand R&D work on underwater vehicles.

A CMERI spokesperson told Janes in late August that the organisation intends to develop long-endurance autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for commercial and defence applications, although future R&D work hinges on the availability of government funding.

The AUV-150 is an indigenous 150 m-class autonomous underwater vehicle developed by India’s Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute. (CMERI)

CMERI successfully trialled its AUV-500 prototype from the research vessel Sindhu Sadhna – a vessel owned by CSIR’s National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in Goa – some 90 n miles off Goa in March 2017.

The AUV-500 is the culmination of a R&D programme that was initiated in April 2012, which sought to develop a working prototype capable of operating up to a depth of 500 to 1,000 m. The AUV-500 is a 3.7 m long torpedo-shaped vehicle with an overall diameter of about 0.5 m and a weight of 400 kg in air.

The system has a positive buoyancy of about 5–7 kg when underwater and is actuated by three thrusters and actuation fins to control the movements. The vehicle employs radio frequency (RF) communication when surfaced and acoustic communication when submerged. It is also equipped with several navigational sensors that includes inertial navigation system (INS), Doppler velocity log (DVL), depth sensor, altimeter, and acoustic positioning system. It can also carry mission payloads such as an underwater camera, lamp and conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) sensors.

The Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CMERI), a state-affiliated Indian research an...

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