Kochi, — Kerala-based marine robotics and AI deep-tech company EyeROV has delivered two EyeROV TROUT military-grade underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems to the Indian Navy. The delivery is part of the Navy’s order for five systems and marks the first supply of a military-standard underwater robotic platform designed, developed, manufactured and qualified in India for naval use.
The ₹47 crore order for five TROUT systems was announced in September 2025 under the iDEX DISC 7 SPRINT Challenge, which supports the development of strategically important indigenous technologies for the Indian Armed Forces. The delivery of the first two systems moves the platform from development and qualification into operational supply.
The TROUT is a rugged underwater robotic platform designed for naval and subsea tasks, including underwater inspection, surveillance and reconnaissance, search and recovery, detection and robotic intervention. It has a 300-metre depth rating and is designed to operate in deep water, poor visibility, strong currents and areas with limited accessibility.
The systems underwent extensive field trials and system-level validation covering manoeuvrability, deep-dive capability, performance in strong underwater currents, detection, navigation, endurance and operator control. TROUT has also passed the quality assurance framework of the Directorate of Quality Assurance (Naval), or DQA(N), and meets Environmental Stress Screening requirements under DGQAN policies along with applicable military standards for environmental and operational resilience.
Johns T. Mathai, CEO and Co-Founder of EyeROV, said the programme had developed into a mission-ready underwater robotic platform for the Indian Navy and demonstrated India’s ability to develop advanced marine robotic technologies domestically.
EyeROV, registered as IROV Technologies Private Limited, is based at Maker Village in the Kerala Technology Innovation Zone, Kalamassery. Founded by IIT alumni Johns T. Mathai and Kannappa Palaniappan P., the company has completed more than 100 underwater deployments and supplied systems to organisations including the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
The remaining three TROUT systems under the Indian Navy’s five-unit order are expected to follow.
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