Underwater remotely operated vehicles (UWROVs) worth INR 47 Cr ($5.3 Mn) have been ordered by the Indian Navy from the marine robotics firm EyeROV.

Under the terms of the contract, EyeROV will deliver its ROV, TROUT, which it says is designed for deep-sea missions and includes capabilities including enhanced imaging, construction, and autonomous navigation.   Among other things, this vehicle can monitor maritime environments and conduct underwater surveillance via deep diving with sophisticated payloads.

The ROV has been tested in a variety of environmental circumstances, including the coldest Antarctic Sea depths and choppy seas for deepwater missions.

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EyeROV was established in 2017 by former National Institute of Ocean Technology project scientist Kannappa Palaniappan and IIT-Delhi alumni Johns T. Mathai. The company creates AI-powered ROVs for high-endurance underwater research and inspections.  These ROV solutions address a range of undersea problems in numerous industries, such as:

• Dams: Real-time silt buildup and structural problems can be identified by underwater dam inspections.
• Tunnels: Real-time structural damage, corrosion, and wear detection using underwater tunnel inspections.
• Oil & Gas: Real-time corrosion, leak, and structural problem detection for oil and gas assets through offshore ROV inspections.
• Maritime: Assistance in protecting coral reefs and other important ecosystems.
• Defense: Support for safeguarding operations related to undersea defense.
• Search & Rescue: Assistance in finding and rescuing lives as well as maritime rescues.

In addition to TROUT, EyeROV provides the autonomous surface vessel ALPHA USV, the observation-class ROV TUNA, and the AI-powered data analytics platform EVAP.

Over the course of its existence, it claims to have finished more than 150 ROV projects in five different nations.  The Indian Coast Guard, DRDO, CSIR, and NCPOR are among the more than 80 clients the deeptech business claims to have.

In August of last year, the Kochi-based business raised INR 10 Cr (about $1.2 Mn) in a Pre-Series A fundraising round headed by Unicorn India Ventures.

The deeptech startup’s defense contract coincides with a major move in the nation’s defense toward in-house deeptech solutions, which is consistent with India’s larger plan to increase defense technology self-reliance.

The Indian Ministry of Defence made a deliberate attempt to give preference to domestic inventions in FY25 by awarding 193 contracts totaling INR 2.1 Lakh Cr, of which INR 1.7 Lakh Cr went to domestic firms.

Additionally, this has increased the size of the Indian defense technology market.  The country’s defense tech market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20%, from $7.6 billion in 2025 to $19 billion by 2030, according to Inc42’s most recent research, India’s Defence Tech Startup Ecosystem research 2025.

As a result, investors are placing bets on cutting-edge deeptech companies in India in order to help them expand globally and improve their technological prowess.

A week ago, 888VC, led by Rohit Bafna, introduced its first alternate investment fund (AIF) worth INR 175 Cr, or around $19 million, to support early-stage businesses in industries like artificial intelligence, deep technology, and sustainability.

Yali Capital and Speciale Invest had previously closed their deeptech funds.

Unmannd, another deeptech firm, raised $2 million (about INR 17.7 crore) earlier today in its pre-seed fundraising round, which was headed by Accel and Speciale Invest.  According to Unmanned, the Indian Army validated the startup’s drones as suitable for deployment on the battlefield in August of this year.