As global defence pivots toward autonomy, AI, and unmanned systems, India is rapidly emerging as a serious innovator in the space. At the forefront of this movement is Sagar Defence Engineering, fusing deep-tech with national purpose.
From developing India’s first personal aerial vehicle, Varuna, to the indigenous Autonomous Weaponised Boat Swarm, his company embodies the spirit of Atmanirbhar Bharat through deep-tech innovation.
In this exclusive conversation, Capt. Nikunj Parashar, Founder & CEO of Sagar Defence Engineering, discusses the power of platform-agnostic technology, the future of unmanned warfare, and how bold ideas are shaping India’s defence autonomy.
Sagar Defence’s tagline is ‘Intelligence Open to Ideas.’ How does that philosophy shape your R&D priorities today, and what bold new frontier is next on your roadmap?
Intelligence Open to Ideas" is more than a tagline — it's how we work every day. It reflects our culture of collaboration, openness, and respect for every idea that can drive innovation forward. Our team of engineers, designers, and experts thrives on brainstorming freely, solving problems together, and being open to learning and adapting.
This mindset keeps us creative and agile. It helps us tackle complex challenges with determination and unity. Looking ahead, we’re focused on exploring new frontiers in autonomous systems and smart technologies that can redefine what's possible in defence innovation.
As unmanned systems gain strategic importance, where do you see India’s competitive edge globally, and what hurdles must the ecosystem overcome to become a global leader?
India is making strong progress in the global defence tech space, especially with unmanned systems. Support from government initiatives like Make in India, iDEX-DIO, and Atmanirbhar Bharat is encouraging homegrown innovation and fast-tracking defence procurement.
However, to truly lead globally, we still need to simplify rules, speed up decision-making, and keep building trust in advanced technology. The ecosystem must continue supporting bold, deep-tech startups and solutions. With continued support, India is well on its way to becoming a global leader in unmanned systems.
Owing to your collaboration with the Indian Navy, DRDO, and other Defence forces, what is one flagship deployment or project that best exemplifies your mission to save lives and strengthen Atmanirbhar Bharat?
One initiative that truly reflects our mission to protect lives and advance Atmanirbhar Bharat is the indigenous development of the Autonomous Weaponised Boat Swarm under iDEX-DIO for the Indian Armed Forces. These indigenously built platforms are designed to operate in high-risk environments, conduct surveillance, detect threats, and transmit critical data, all without endangering human lives.
They aim to reflect on what Indian innovation can achieve in labs and workshops for our soldiers on the frontlines, by creating solutions with heart, precision, and deep purpose. Every deployment is a step forward in resilience, readiness, and pride in our self-reliant capabilities.
How do emerging geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific influence your design of autonomous marine platforms like Varuna, in terms of surveillance, deterrence or rapid-response missions?
Geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific has made the region a hotspot for the development of new technology; it’s redefining how we build platforms like Autonomous Weaponized boat swarm and Varuna, India’s first personal aerial vehicle, as part of our effort to expand urban air mobility systems and services, developed and manufactured with Patented Technology ‘Genisys’ Boat in a Box. With evolving alliances, contested waters, and unpredictable threats, there's a growing need for systems that are agile, responsive, and ready for multi-role deployment.
Varuna has been designed as a force multiplier by stepping into rapid-response missions where speed and autonomy are critical in time-sensitive scenarios.
Looking at trends in electric propulsion, battery tech and AI since 2015, which technology breakthrough do you believe will most swiftly transform defence robotics and is Sagar leading any of those innovations?
Since 2015, big changes in battery technology, electric propulsion, and artificial intelligence have been shaping the future of transport. These technologies are moving fast, and instead of trying to catch up later, we're building for that future now. At our core, we’re developing and manufacturing platform-agnostic technology, “Genisys,” which runs platforms in surface, sub-surface, aerial, and land. The platform-agnostic technology enables it to adapt to the latest innovations in existing as well as new solutions. Solutions like Autonomous Weaponized boat swarm, Autonomous underwater vehicle, and Varuna are adaptable to future technology invocations as of this date.
By staying ahead of the curve, we make sure our technology doesn’t just keep up, it’s ready to plug in and go when the time comes. This future-ready approach means less rework, faster scaling, and more impact. We’re not just following trends, we’re building with them, so that when the shift happens, we’re already there.