By N. C. Bipindra
New Delhi: American firm Liquid Robotics, a Boeing company, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sagar Defence Engineering Private Limited, an Indian unmanned systems startup, to co-develop and co-produce Autonomous Surface Vessels (ASV). The agreement builds on the joint US-India Roadmap for Defence Industrial Cooperation.
“This partnership aims to enhance undersea domain awareness through manufacturing, system interoperability, ocean testing, and establishing a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) capacity for the Wave Glider ASV platform.
“The MoU supports the ASIA to expand industry partnerships and strengthen production capabilities across the Indo-Pacific Region,” a company statement said on Mar. 19, 2025.
“The U.S.-India relationship continues to strengthen, and we see immense potential in deepening our collaboration,” Boeing India and South Asia president Salil Gupte said.
“This partnership with Sagar Defence Engineering underscores our commitment to co-developing and co-producing critical systems in India, fully aligning with the collaborative vision of both the US and India governments outlined in the US–India Joint Leaders Statement last month.”
“The Wave Glider is a key platform for US-India collaboration, strengthening tactical readiness in the Indo-Pacific. Partnering with Sagar Defence advances bilateral defense cooperation and supports the ASIA initiative to expand industry partnerships and production across the region,” Liquid Robotics chief executive officer Shane Goodenough said.
“This strategic partnership brings together the best of US and Indian defence capabilities by co-developing advanced technologies like the Wave Glider, strengthening our aim to contribute towards fostering innovation within India’s defence ecosystem.
“This collaboration reinforces our shared vision of providing solutions for complex maritime challenges to enhance global maritime security,” Sagar Defence Engineering founder Captain Nikunj Parashar said.
As the first such project by a US company in partnership with an Indian startup, this collaboration marks a milestone in US-India defence industrial cooperation, with undersea domain awareness as a key focus.
It reinforces India’s potential to be developed as a hub for MRO and sustainment of such platforms, with export potential across the region. Additionally, advancing autonomous underwater capabilities will accelerate ecosystem growth and drive innovation in next-generation defense technologies.
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