Maritime surveillance needs shift toward autonomous vessels in the Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean Region and the broader Indo-Pacific are facing increasing strategic competition, necessitating enhanced maritime domain awareness. Current surveillance methods, such as manned warships and high-altitude aerial drones like the MQ-9B SeaGuardian, face limitations regarding endurance, cost, and geographic coverage.

To address these gaps, there is a growing emphasis on transitioning from crewed, platform-centric patrols toward persistent, distributed sensing. Proposed solutions include the deployment of Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) and Extra-Large Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (XLUUVs). These autonomous naval vessels can operate for extended periods, accommodate large sensor suites, and provide cost-effective monitoring of critical maritime chokepoints.

Additionally, integrating passive radio frequency (RF)-sensing payloads onto long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is being explored. These mobile sensors can extend surveillance networks into remote areas where permanent infrastructure is impractical, helping to counter modern security challenges such as illegal fishing, smuggling, and electronic interference.