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China deploys underwater drones in Indian Ocean

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By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Jan 4: China has deployed a fleet of underwater drones called Sea Wing (Haiyi) glider in the Indian Ocean which can operate for months and make observations for naval intelligence purposes, according to a report published in Forbes Magazine. Defence Analyst HI Sutton in his report said that these sea gliders are being deployed “en masse” which are a type of Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (UUV) launched in Dec 2019 and were recovered in February after making 3400 observations.

The analyst citing government sources said these gliders are similar to those deployed by the US Navy, noting that one of the gliders was seized by Beijing in 2016 to ensure “safe navigation of passing ships.” He further wrote, “Taken at face value, it may be surprising that China is now deploying these types of UUV en masse in the Indian Ocean. China has also deployed the Sea Wing from an ice breaker in the Arctic.

The defence expert remarked that reports from December last year suggested that 14 would be employed in the Indian Ocean but only 12 have been used. These gliders are not fast or agile but are unpowered with large wings that run for long periods of time, adding that they are employed for long-range missions. Moreover, these gliders are placed in the Ocean for gathering oceanography data, which he said “sounds innocuous” but is commonly gathered for naval intelligence purposes.

Earlier this month, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat noted the rising challenges in the Indo-Pacific Region and said that the world is witnessing a race for strategic bases in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). He added that it is going to gain momentum in the times to come. CDS Rawat also warned that India faces challenges and “requires structured long term planning for capacity building and capability development of our defence forces.”

“In the military field, technology must be a means of deterrence not a source of destruction. Our approach to security hence needs to shift from unilateral to the multilateral mode which mandates increasing training engagements with partner nations in order to fortify the future,” said General Rawat at the Global Dialogue Security Summit.

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