• Sagar Defence Engineering has partnered with Liquid Robotics to co-develop autonomous surface vessels in India.
  • The collaboration includes building maintenance capabilities for the Wave Glider ASV platform in the Indo-Pacific region.

Sagar Defence Engineering, a Mumbai-based defence technology startup, has entered into a strategic partnership with Liquid Robotics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing.

The two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to co-develop autonomous surface vessels in India. This collaboration aims to enhance undersea domain awareness and establish critical maintenance capabilities for unmanned maritime platforms in the Indo-Pacific region.

The agreement between Sagar Defence and Liquid Robotics includes a wide range of objectives, such as manufacturing, system interoperability, and ocean testing.

Additionally, the partnership will focus on building the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) capacity for the Wave Glider Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) platform. The Wave Glider, designed and manufactured by Liquid Robotics, is an unmanned surface vehicle that runs on solar energy and ocean waves, enabling it to collect oceanographic and atmospheric data.

“This strategic partnership brings together the best of the US and Indian defence capabilities by co-developing advanced technologies like the Wave Glider, strengthening our aim to contribute towards fostering innovation within India’s defence ecosystem,” said Nikunj Parashar, founder of Sagar Defence.

Founded in 2015, Sagar Defence Engineering specializes in developing unmanned underwater vehicles for Indian naval operations. The startup has already partnered with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to deliver India’s first underwater-launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).

The partnership comes soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, which emphasized defence collaborations. The two nations also launched the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA) to scale industry partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region, in addition to launching the US-India TRUST Initiative aimed at advancing technology in various fields including defence, AI, and space.

Edited by Harshajit Sarmah