France’s Naval Group partners with Nibe Ltd. to develop underwater drones, mine countermeasures

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The partnership is aimed at strengthening indigenous capabilities in advanced naval technologies and supporting India’s self-reliance in naval programmes under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative. Photo credit: X/@navalgroup_IN

France’s defence major Naval Group and Indian defence company Nibe Limited, along with its group companies, signed a strategic MoU on Friday (September 18, 2026) to cooperate on high-technology solutions for naval shipbuilding, defence platforms, and autonomous systems in India.

A statement from Naval Group says that the agreement provides a framework for cooperation in various areas including underwater drones, their integration onboard submarines, mine countermeasure vessels and systems, underwater submarine technologies, naval weapon launching systems, and maintenance.

The partnership is aimed at strengthening indigenous capabilities in advanced naval technologies and supporting India’s self-reliance in naval programmes under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.

Under the MoU, the two companies will leverage their respective expertise to work on underwater autonomous systems, future weapon-ready modular launching systems, mine countermeasure systems, and related engineering capabilities.

“This agreement illustrates our shared commitment to develop sovereign, resilient, and future-ready naval capabilities in India and exemplifies our commitment to the Special Global Strategic Partnership shared between India and France,” said Marie-Laure Bourgeois, Executive Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Naval Group.

Nibe Group CMD Ganesh Nibe said the company’s expertise and continuing investments would bring next-generation naval technologies to India with the support of the Naval Group.

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