Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and French company Exail have entered a strategic collaboration to deliver an unmanned mine countermeasures (MCM) suite for the Indian Navy’s Mine Counter Measures Vessels (MCMVs) programme.
Under the arrangement, L&T will act as prime contractor and offer the unmanned MCM suite to shipyards involved in the Indian Navy’s planned programme for 12 mine countermeasure vessels. Exail will serve as the technology partner.
The companies said the suite will incorporate autonomous and remotely operated systems intended to detect, classify, identify and neutralise naval mines at stand-off distance.
The partners said the programme is aligned with the Indian government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives, and will include local industrial collaboration and capability development.
In a statement, L&T chairman and managing director S N Subrahmanyan said the partnership would combine L&T’s maritime and defence engineering capabilities with Exail’s unmanned maritime systems and mine warfare technologies.
Exail Maritime Systems director Jérôme Bendell said the companies aimed to support the development of unmanned maritime systems in India, including local development and production of naval drones and autonomous mission systems.
