L&T Partners France’s Exail to Offer Unmanned Mine-Countermeasure Suite for Indian Navy’s Next MCMV Programme

Larsen & Toubro has entered into a strategic collaboration with France-based Exail to deliver an advanced Unmanned Mine Counter-Measure Suite for the Indian Navy’s upcoming Mine Counter Measure Vessel programme, marking a significant move in India’s effort to modernise naval mine-warfare capability with autonomous and remotely operated systems. The announcement was made by L&T in a stock exchange filing dated May 14, 2026.

Under the partnership, L&T and Exail will jointly offer a state-of-the-art unmanned MCM suite designed to detect, classify, identify and neutralise naval mines while keeping crews at a safer stand-off distance from the minefield. L&T will serve as the prime contractor, while Exail will act as the technology partner for the programme.

The collaboration is aimed at the Indian Navy’s planned fleet of 12 Mine Counter Measure Vessels, with L&T saying it will offer the unmanned suite to all shipyards participating in the Navy’s upcoming MCMV programme. This is an important distinction: the announcement is a strategic technology partnership and offering arrangement, not a final shipbuilding contract award by the Navy.

Mine countermeasure vessels are among the most specialised assets in a navy. Their job is to protect ports, naval bases, sea lanes, amphibious landing zones and choke points from underwater mines, which remain one of the cheapest but most disruptive weapons in maritime warfare. Even a small number of mines can delay fleet movement, threaten merchant shipping, and force expensive clearance operations. This is why modern navies are increasingly shifting from traditional manned minesweeping to unmanned, networked mine-hunting systems.

Exail’s own mine-countermeasure portfolio focuses on unmanned surface vehicles that allow safer stand-off operations from land, dedicated ships or ships of opportunity. The company says such systems can support detection, classification and neutralisation of naval mines while keeping personnel away from danger zones.

In modern MCM operations, the vessel is no longer just a minesweeper that physically enters a dangerous zone. It becomes a command-and-control mother platform that can deploy unmanned surface vessels, autonomous underwater vehicles, remotely operated vehicles, towed sonars and mine-neutralisation systems. Exail describes its systems as interoperable platforms capable of hosting AUVs, ROVs, mine identification and disposal systems, minesweeping devices and other mine-hunting payloads.

For India, the L&T-Exail collaboration is strategically important because naval mines are a major threat in the Indian Ocean Region, especially around ports, naval bases, energy routes and narrow maritime approaches. India’s coastline, island territories, offshore energy infrastructure and sea-borne trade routes require a credible mine-warfare shield. A dedicated MCMV fleet equipped with unmanned systems would give the Navy the ability to clear threats without placing crews and expensive warships directly inside a mined zone.

The industrial angle is equally significant. L&T brings Indian defence engineering, shipbuilding support, systems integration and lifecycle-support capability, while Exail brings proven unmanned maritime and mine-warfare technologies already used by several navies. L&T said the programme would support Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India by encouraging local industrial collaboration and capability development.

The partnership also adds another layer to India-France defence cooperation, which already spans submarines, aircraft, missiles, naval systems and advanced defence technologies. In this case, the cooperation is focused not on a high-visibility strike platform but on a quiet yet critical capability: keeping sea lanes open, harbours safe and naval task forces mobile during crisis or conflict.

If taken forward under the Indian Navy’s MCMV programme, the L&T-Exail suite could help India move toward a next-generation mine-warfare model built around automation, stand-off safety and indigenous integration. In future naval combat, the ability to detect and neutralise invisible underwater threats may prove as decisive as missiles, submarines or aircraft carriers. Mine warfare is silent, patient and unforgiving — and this partnership is a step toward giving the Indian Navy a modern technological answer to that threat.

References:

https://www.psuconnect.in/corporate-news/l-t-joins-hands-with-frances-exail-to-power-indian-navy-next-gen-mine-warfare-fleet

https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/PAM_14052026124116_PressRelease14052026.pdf

https://www.exail.com/product-range/unmanned-surface-vehicles-for-mine-countermeasures

https://www.exail.com/product-range/mine-countermeasures