Partnership to Deliver Advanced Unmanned Mine Countermeasures for Indian Navy

L&T and Exail have entered into a strategic collaboration to deliver an advanced Unmanned Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Suite for the Indian Navy’s Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMVs) programme.

As the prime contractor, L&T will offer the Unmanned MCM Suite to all shipyards participating in the upcoming programme for 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels, while Exail will serve as the technology partner. The state-of-the-art suite incorporates autonomous and remotely operated systems designed to detect, classify, identify, and neutralise naval mines in a safe, stand-off manner. This partnership will enable the delivery of Exail’s globally proven MCM technologies, which are already in operation with several navies worldwide and validated through extensive real-world deployments.

Aligned with the Government of India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, the programme will incorporate strong local industrial collaboration and capability development. The collaboration represents a major step towards strengthening India’s mine countermeasure capabilities, enhancing maritime security, and reinforcing Indo-French defence cooperation, while building a robust and self-reliant naval defence manufacturing ecosystem in India.

Arun Ramchandani, Senior VP & Head -Precision Engineering & Systems, L&T, commented, “This partnership brings together L&T, with its extensive defence products legacy and maritime capabilities, and Exail, a global leader in unmanned maritime systems and mine warfare technologies. Exail contributes decades of proven operational expertise, while L&T leverages its strengths in defence engineering, indigenous manufacturing, complex system integration and lifecycle support.”

Jérôme Bendell, Director of Exail Maritime Systems business line, stated, “We are proud to partner with L&T on this strategic programme for the Indian Navy. Beyond delivering a proven unmanned mine countermeasures capability, this collaboration also reflects a shared ambition to support the long-term development of sovereign unmanned maritime systems in India.

“By combining Exail’s operational expertise with L&T’s strong industrial and integration capabilities, we see significant potential to contribute to the local development and production of next-generation naval drones and autonomous mission systems.”