The Indian Naval Academy has developed an innovative twin-drone system designed to strengthen maritime search and rescue operations by rapidly locating people in distress at sea and delivering life-saving flotation equipment before conventional rescue teams can arrive at the scene, Economic Times reported.

Created by a team of cadets and researchers at the academy, the system combines two autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that work together through long-range radio frequency (RF) communication. The objective is to reduce response times during emergencies in open water, where every minute can be critical to survival.

Speaking about the project, Midshipman Sudhanshu Tanwar, one of the developers, explained that the drones employ a combination of camera-based surveillance, artificial intelligence-assisted detection and GPS-guided navigation while ensuring that a human operator retains authority over the final deployment of rescue equipment.

The concept relies on a division of responsibilities between two specialised UAVs.

The first aircraft is a quadcopter dedicated to search operations. It scans the sea surface using both 2K optical cameras and thermal imaging sensors.

Video collected by the drone is analysed in real time by an artificial intelligence model known as YOLO, short for “You Only Look Once”, a widely used computer vision system capable of rapidly identifying objects and people within live video feeds.

When the system flags a possible person in the water, the second UAV is activated.

This aircraft is a hexacopter designed specifically to transport rescue equipment. Guided by GPS coordinates transmitted from the search drone, it flies directly to the identified location while carrying a lifebuoy. Despite the use of artificial intelligence and autonomous navigation, the developers have intentionally kept the final decision-making process under human supervision.

Tanwar noted that the lifebuoy is released only after receiving authorisation from an operator, ensuring that a human remains in control of the critical final action. Once the lifebuoy has been delivered, the hexacopter automatically returns to its launch position without requiring further intervention.

Both UAVs were designed and built by the development team, with specifications tailored to their individual missions.

The search quadcopter can remain airborne for up to 45 minutes, carry a payload of 0.5 kg and reach a maximum speed of 50 km/h. The rescue hexacopter has a flight endurance of 25 minutes, can transport payloads weighing up to 2.5 kg and can operate at speeds of up to 40 km/h.

According to Tanwar, both aircraft possess an operational radius of 10 km, enabling them to cover a substantial search area and respond quickly to incidents occurring some distance from ships or coastlines.

The system is intended to address one of the most challenging aspects of maritime rescue operations: locating survivors and getting flotation aids to them as quickly as possible.

In many sea emergencies, rescue vessels can require significant time to reach precise coordinates, particularly in rough weather or over large search areas. By deploying aerial platforms capable of rapid surveillance and immediate delivery of buoyancy equipment, rescuers gain an additional tool that can support the crucial initial phase of an operation.

Tanwar emphasised that the team's goal is to provide rescuers with “a faster way to find and reach people in danger at sea”.

The project also reflects the growing adoption of artificial intelligence, thermal imaging and autonomous systems within maritime safety operations. The integration of optical and thermal sensors enables detection capabilities in a wider range of environmental conditions, while AI-based identification helps operators process surveillance data more efficiently.

Beyond its immediate search-and-rescue role, the development highlights the increasing emphasis being placed on indigenous innovation within the Indian Navy and its training institutions. The twin-drone architecture demonstrates how specialised UAVs can collaborate, with one platform performing reconnaissance and target identification while the other executes payload delivery, creating a more efficient and responsive rescue framework.

By combining aerial surveillance, AI-assisted target recognition, GPS-guided navigation and operator-controlled deployment of rescue equipment, the Indian Naval Academy's new twin-drone system has the potential to become a valuable force multiplier in future maritime search and rescue missions, helping responders reach distressed individuals more quickly while improving the chances of survival during emergencies at sea.

Agencies