Indian Naval Academy Unveils Twin-Drone SAR System

A team from the Indian Naval Academy (INA) in Ezhimala has developed an autonomous twin-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for long-range maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.

The innovation pairs a high-speed scouting quadcopter with a heavy-payload hexacopter. The two drones work together over long-range radio frequency (RF) channels to locate distressed individuals in open waters and deliver life-saving equipment instantly.

Midshipman Sudhanshu Tanwar, one of the system’s primary developers, demonstrated the operational protocol. The scouting quadcopter flies ahead over designated sea sectors, using onboard 2K optical and thermal imaging cameras. An artificial intelligence model known as YOLO (You Only Look Once) scans the live video feed in real time to detect survivors floating in ocean currents.

Key Technical Concepts:

1. YOLO (You Only Look Once): A real-time, deep-learning algorithm used for object detection. Unlike traditional image processing algorithms that scan images repeatedly, YOLO processes the entire image frame in a single forward pass, providing high speed and accuracy for computer vision tasks in dynamic environments.
2. Dual-UAV Cooperative Swarming: Tactical deployment where specialized, light scout drones gather intelligence while heavy-lift multirotors perform payload deployment, reducing operational risk and response latency.
3. Indian Naval Academy (INA): The premier officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, located at Ezhimala, Kerala. The academy operates under the Southern Naval Command.

Operational Mechanics of the Twin-Drone SAR System

Maritime search and rescue missions face difficult environmental constraints, including choppy seas, sun glare, and low visibility. The twin-drone platform overcomes these limitations through synchronized operations.

• Step 1 (Scouting Patrol): The lightweight quadcopter flies over designated search coordinates, utilizing thermal sensors to spot body heat signatures against cold ocean waters.
• Step 2 (Target Lock): The onboard YOLO neural network verifies the human signature and locks onto the precise GPS coordinates.
• Step 3 (Payload Release): The system automatically relays the location data to the hexacopter. The hexacopter then navigates to the target coordinates and drops a self-inflating lifebuoy directly to the survivor.

Strategic Significance for Naval Modernization

The development reflects the Indian Armed Forces' emphasis on indigenization, private-defense collaboration, and institutional innovation.

By deploying autonomous multirotor systems for first-response SAR, naval units can initiate rescue operations within minutes of a man-overboard alert, significantly increasing survival rates in open waters.

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