Indian Navy's underwater prowess boosted as AIP system's Phase-2 trials kick off

Prelims-testable facts

• 01The Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system is being developed indigenously by Naval Materials Research Laboratory, DRDO.
• 02The AIP system boosts the underwater endurance of diesel-electric submarines by reducing their dependence on atmospheric oxygen.
• 03The AIP system is being developed for integration on Kalvari-class submarines in the Indian Navy.
• 04The Setting to Work Phase-2 activity of the AIP system was inaugurated on October 24, 2026, at Larsen and Toubro's AM Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat.
• 05The AIP Energy Module will be energised for power production and tested rigorously before being handed over to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited for integration.
• 06The DRDO Chairman, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh, was the Chief Guest at the inauguration ceremony of the Setting to Work Phase-2 activity.
• 07The AIP system is expected to be inducted into the Indian Navy by early 2027, following successful integration and testing.
• 08The AIP system is being developed with the cooperation of the Indian Navy, who will test and validate the system at every stage of the trials.

Trap alerts

• Most people think the AIP system is a new technology, but actually it is an indigenously developed system.
• Most people think the AIP system is only for nuclear-powered submarines, but actually it is being developed for diesel-electric submarines.