UFOSS: DRDO Deep Ocean Watch Undersea Sensor Network
Why in the news
DRDO has started a naval project to put a home-built sensor grid on the Indian Ocean floor. The aim is to spot submarines and respond to growing Chinese and Pakistani undersea activity.
Key facts
- Project name: Deep Ocean Watch; lead lab: Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), Kochi, a DRDO unit.
- Expression of Interest issued 20 June 2026; bids due 1 September 2026.
- Target: complete within 48 months of final contract award.
- System life: 20 years; cables buried deep using specialised ploughs and Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs).
- Industry model: a Lead System Integrator may partner with up to 5 specialised engineering firms.
About UFOSS
- A permanent, non-collapsible array of acoustic and hydrographic sensors under the sea, fixed on the seabed and wired to onshore monitoring stations through armoured fibre-optic cable.
- Intended as India’s strategic underwater surveillance grid, tracking continuously across contested choke points.
- Compared with the US IUSS, which succeeded the Cold War SOSUS network.
- It would fill gaps left by periodic ship and aircraft patrols and be deployed over wider Indian Ocean zones, among them the Andaman and Nicobar region, Bay of Bengal and Ninety East Ridge.
Related terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| AIP (Air-Independent Propulsion) | Lets conventional submarines stay submerged for 2-3 weeks without surfacing; fuel cell, Stirling and MESMA types |
| Project 75(I) | Indian programme focused on AIP submarines; 6 planned |
| SAGAR | Security And Growth for All in the Region, announced in Mauritius (March 2015) |
| MAHASAGAR | Newer doctrine, expanded as Mutual And Holistic Advancement for Security And Growth Across Regions (March 2025) |
| IPOI | Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative; November 2019, East Asia Summit |
About DRDO
- Founded in 1958 by merging the Technical Development Establishment with the Directorate of Technical Development and Production.
- Headquarters: DRDO Bhawan, New Delhi; works under the Department of Defence Research and Development, Ministry of Defence.
- Chairman and DDR&D Secretary: Dr. Samir V. Kamat (since 2022); about 50+ laboratories.
Exam angle
- Lead lab: NPOL, Kochi (Kerala).
- Project name: Deep Ocean Watch.
- Link with IOR doctrines: SAGAR, MAHASAGAR, IPOI and the Quad maritime initiative.