Navy to buy underwater remotely operated vehicles from Odisha-based start-up

New Delhi: A deep-tech startup based in Odisha has inked a Rs 66-crore contract with the Indian Navy to manufacture indigenously developed Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles.

The start-up, Coratia Technologies, signed the contract last week to supply home-built underwater robots specialising in cleaning ship hulls, conducting minor salvage activities and performing surveys and inspections of submerged infrastructures.

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"This is not only a recognition of our capability to design and manufacture mission-critical underwater systems but also symbolises the Navy's relentless efforts to strengthen India's research and innovation ecosystem through well-structured initiatives like the iDEX," said Debendra Pradhan, co-founder and CEO of Coratia Technologies.

In January 2023, the company won the Innovation for Defence Excellence (iDEX) challenge which is aimed at creating an ecosystem to foster innovation and technology development in the defence and aerospace sectors.

Currently, the Indian Navy has commissioned the flagship product of Coratia Technologies called Jalasimha, which underwent rigorous testing and certifications to pass Technology Readiness Level-9, enabling its induction into Indian Naval operations, Pradhan said.

The deep-tech robotics startup, incubated at the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, will supply and maintain its indigenously developed Underwater Remotely Operated Vehicles (UWROVs).

The frugal design delivers advanced capabilities at significantly lower cost, marking India's first cost-efficient underwater robotics breakthrough, a statement from Coratia Technologies said.

"Induction of indigenous UWROVs not only reduces costs and reliance on foreign suppliers but also combats trade restrictions and tariff uncertainties. We're here to unlock new possibilities for defence preparedness and supporting India's blue economy," Biswajit Swain, co-founder & CTO of Coratia Technologies, said.

In July, Coratia Technologies raised Rs 17.4 crore in a pre-Series A round led by MGF Kavachh, supported by Pontaq Ventures India. It plans to deploy the funds to scale up R&D initiatives, IPR and increase exports to tap rising global demand.

The underwater robotics market size stands at USD 5.08 billion in 2025, and is pegged to reach USD 9.53 billion by 2030, according to Mordor Intelligence.

"By investing, we are not just backing a promising startup but also reinforcing the spirit of 'Make in India' and contributing to the vision of becoming a global technology leader," said Raj Sethia, founder and managing partner, MGF Kavachh.

Coratia's UWROVs are already used in the public and private sectors for wide-ranging applications from dam and bridge inspections, ocean floor mapping and monitoring marine ecosystems, to inspection of offshore energy assets, pipelines and subsea cables.

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