United Service Institution of India

About the Occasional Paper

Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs), or drone boats, have rapidly evolved from experimental platforms into operational instruments of maritime power. This Occasional Paper examines their operational employment from 2022 to 2026, drawing lessons from recent conflicts and developments involving Ukraine, Russia, the United States, China, Iran, non-state actors and other maritime powers. The paper assesses how relatively low-cost autonomous platforms are transforming maritime warfare through surveillance, sea denial, precision attack, mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare, logistics and protection of critical infrastructure. It also examines the vulnerability of major maritime chokepoints and the disproportionate strategic and economic effects that USVs can generate. For India, with its extensive coastline, island territories, Exclusive Economic Zone and pivotal position in the Indian Ocean Region, the paper highlights the need for a sovereign autonomous maritime capability integrating artificial intelligence, resilient communications, navigation, sensors, command-and-control networks, human-machine teaming and an indigenous defence-industrial ecosystem.