Larsen & Toubro has entered a strategic collaboration with France based Exail to supply an advanced unmanned mine countermeasure suite for the Indian Navy's Mine Counter Measure Vessels programme for 12 MCMVs. The suite will integrate autonomous and remotely operated systems designed to detect, classify, identify and neutralise naval mines in a safe stand-off manner. L&T will act as prime contractor and offer the suite to all shipyards participating in the programme, while Exail will serve as the technology partner.

The partnership will enable delivery of Exail's globally proven mine countermeasure technologies, which are in operation with several navies and validated through real-world deployments. The systems combine sensor platforms, autonomous vehicles and mission systems to provide layered detection and remediation capabilities. The announcement positions India to enhance its mine warfare posture and to reduce risk to manned vessels by enabling remote operations from stand-off distances.

The collaboration is intended to strengthen maritime security, reinforce Indo-French defence cooperation and support indigenous naval manufacturing under the Government of India's Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India initiatives. The programme will incorporate strong local industrial collaboration and capability development, with L&T responsible for systems integration, indigenous manufacturing and lifecycle support. L&T is a US dollar 32 billion (bn) Indian multinational with extensive defence and maritime engineering experience.

Exail is described as a high-tech industrial company specialising in robotics, maritime navigation and mine warfare systems, with decades of operational expertise and in-house manufacturing. Company executives indicated an ambition to support long-term development of sovereign unmanned maritime systems in India and to enable local production of next-generation naval drones and autonomous mission systems. The collaboration is framed as a major step in modernising the Indian Navy's mine countermeasure capabilities.