India to Deploy Indigenous Underwater Sensor Network in Bay of Bengal to Counter Chinese Submarine Forays
In a decisive push to fortify its undersea surveillance capabilities, the Indian Navy&mdash;backed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO)&mdash;is preparing to deploy a sophisticated network of indigenous underwater sensors across the Ninety East Ridge, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the Bay of Bengal. This strategic initiative comes in response to the rising footprint of the People&rsquo;s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), and is designed to provide India with critical underwater domain awareness (UDA) in an increasingly contested maritime environment.
The IOR's significance is rapidly escalating in global geopolitics. With over 95% of India&rsquo;s trade flowing through its waters and key chokepoints like the Malacca and Sunda Straits lying within reach, maritime security is no longer a peripheral concern&mdash;it&rsquo;s a strategic imperative. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh recently underscored this shift, stating that the focus of maritime power has moved from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean, which is now the epicentre of global power rivalries.
At the heart of India&rsquo;s new undersea posture lies an integrated sensor grid comprising passive and active sonar systems, Magnetic Anomaly Detectors (MAD), and cutting-edge Superconducting Quantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs). These technologies, still under various stages of indigenous development, promise to offer layered detection capabilities against both conventional and stealth submarine threats.
Passive sonar systems, which detect acoustic signatures emitted by enemy submarines without revealing the location of the detecting platform, will provide continuous stealth surveillance. In high-threat scenarios, active sonar systems&mdash;capable of sending out acoustic pulses and measuring their echoes&mdash;will allow for precise location and tracking of intruding vessels. MAD sensors and SQUIDs, designed to detect minute magnetic distortions caused by metallic hulls, will serve as force multipliers in shallow and complex littoral zones where sonar is less effective.
The blueprint draws conceptual parallels to the U.S. and Japanese &ldquo;Fish Hook&rdquo; undersea surveillance line in the Western Pacific. India intends to create its own variant of this system, positioning sensor arrays at the northern and southern flanks of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to act as an early warning line against PLAN submarine incursions.
The urgency behind the move is palpable. Last month, China's so-called scientific research vessel&nbsp;Dong Fang Hong 3conducted a four-week survey of the Ninety East Ridge&mdash;an undersea geological formation considered ideal for submarine movement due to its depth and topography. Indian naval officials believe such missions often serve dual purposes, gathering bathymetric data for submarine operations while operating under the guise of research.
&ldquo;The Ninety East Ridge is of growing concern. It offers a discreet pathway for PLAN submarines to operate undetected in the eastern Indian Ocean,&rdquo; a senior Indian defence official remarked. &ldquo;These underwater sensors are critical to monitoring and denying that advantage.&rdquo;
While the Indian Navy's current undersea fleet&mdash;comprising 13 diesel-electric submarines&mdash;is numerically and technologically outpaced by PLAN&rsquo;s rapidly expanding force, the strategic deployment of surveillance technology is seen as a force equaliser. This is especially crucial in light of Pakistan&rsquo;s imminent acquisition of eight Yuan-class submarines equipped with air-independent propulsion (AIP) from China, further complicating the submarine threat matrix in the region.
With China&rsquo;s undersea ambitions extending into India&rsquo;s backyard, the deployment of indigenous underwater sensors marks a significant leap in India&rsquo;s anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capabilities. It reaffirms India&rsquo;s resolve to safeguard its maritime interests and assert its strategic primacy in the Indo-Pacific.
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India's Indigenous Underwater Sensor Network in Bay of Bengal

New sonar grid to track Chinese submarines, boosting India’s underwater surveillance edge

India to Deploy Submarine Sensors in Bay of Bengal

New sonar grid to track Chinese submarines, boosting India’s underwater surveillance edge

April 18, 2025 | 17:04 IST