These 2 engineers launched a deep-tech startup that makes indigenous underwater drones as an answer to Chinese activity in Indian Ocean

India has made remarkable progress in defense technology - from space missions to advanced drones and fighter aircrafts. 

But underneath the surface, a critical market is still largely unexplored: underwater autonomy.

In 2023, recognizing this gap, two young engineers founded Hyper Horizon, a deep-tech startup building autonomous underwater systems for defense and maritime operations.

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Why AUV Tech Matters

Underwater autonomy is a growing strategic need for India.

Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean has increased, with spy vessels and underwater drones operating openly. India’s naval fleet is limited, and by 2035, it may have only 24 submarines compared to China’s 80.

While DRDO is adopting advanced technology, most domestic players still rely on foreign systems and have not produced significant indigenous underwater solutions.

The Indian Navy has a long wish-list of unmanned systems, but the capability gap remains.

Hyper Horizon aims to bridge this gap. 

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Meet the Founders

Hyper Horizon was founded by Sibi M and Vishaal M Kabilan. 

The two met while working under AEPL, a company focused on engineering research. Vishaal had completed his MS in Robotics from WPI and was already developing early underwater prototypes. Sibi, then a student at IIITDM, joined as an intern and quickly became part of the project.

“I first joined AEPL as an intern during my second year of college,” recalls Sibi. “At that time, we were still a branch under AEPL, and our first product had just launched.”

That launch, held at Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers (GRSE) in the presence of the Chairman of DRDO, marked a turning point. 

After multiple demonstrations for the Indian Army and Navy, the two engineers decided to establish Hyper Horizon Private Limited in 2024.

Today, Vishaal leads operations and partnerships as CEO, while Sibi heads engineering and product development as CTO. Their philosophy is simple and field-driven. 

“We believe in engineering where it matters most, in the field with the users who need it,” says Sibi. “That means deploying systems directly to Army and Navy bases, getting real-time feedback, and improving them on the ground.”

About Hyper Horizon

Hyper Horizon focuses on developing autonomous underwater systems, vehicles that can operate, explore, and map underwater without human control.

Their strength lies in building compact and efficient AUVs that balance endurance, precision, and affordability. Every system is designed to be indigenous, field-ready, and quick to deploy, supporting India’s long-term goal of defense self-reliance.

Vishaal explains their vision simply. “We are shifting the paradigm from exclusive and expensive to distributed and affordable.” 

The startup aims to make India capable of designing and producing its own underwater systems at scale, reducing dependence on foreign technology.

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Neerakshi V2 – Endurance Class AUV

Building on their first success, Hyper Horizon developed Neerakshi V2, the company’s Endurance Class AUV. The vehicle is under 1.8 meters in length, less than 0.15 meters in diameter, and weighs under 20 kilograms.

It is equipped with:

• Depth rating: 300 meters

• Maximum speed: 6 knots

• Endurance: 6 hours at 2.5 knots

• Navigation accuracy: Better than 2% error over distance traveled

• Sensors: Doppler Velocity Log (DVL), Side Scan Sonar (SSS), Ultra-Short Baseline (USBL) positioning system, and HD camera

• Communication range: USBL ≤ 1 km, RF ≤ 2.5 km, Wi-Fi ≤ 50 m

Beyond its technical benchmarks, Neerakshi V2 proved that India could design, build, and deploy a fully indigenous AUV platform. It embodied the team’s strength in autonomy, control algorithms, and modular system architecture, laying the foundation for Hyper Horizon’s next generation of underwater vehicles.

The vehicle has been tested in demanding field conditions, including Pangong Tso in Ladakh, where it demonstrated stability and navigation performance in one of the world’s most challenging high-altitude environments.

Other Products by Hyper Horizon

After Neerakshi, the team developed a new class of underactuated AUVs focused on endurance and reliability. These vehicles weigh less than 20 kilograms, measure under 1.8 meters in length, and can dive up to 300 meters. 

Despite their compact design, they carry an advanced sensor payload and maintain navigation accuracy within two percent of the distance traveled.

The company also developed:

• A Buoyancy Glider Prototype for long-duration, energy-efficient underwater missions.

• An Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) that operates autonomously on water and acts as a communication relay for underwater systems.

• An Underwater Navigation System, a flexible software suite that fuses data from multiple sensors to enable autonomous operation across platforms.

These technologies have been field-tested in critical forward locations such as Lakhpong, CME Pune, and Pangong Tso in Ladakh, some of the most challenging underwater testing environments in the world.

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Their Achievements

In a short time, Hyper Horizon has earned recognition in India’s defense innovation ecosystem. The company was selected as an IDEX winner for its Underwater Navigation System, an award given to field-ready technologies developed for the Indian Armed Forces.

It has also executed a contract with a defense PSU and its systems are already being used by multiple units of the Ministry of Defence. GRSE remains one of its key partners, supporting both development and field validation.

HyperHorizon has also partnered with one of the major shipyards to accelerate testing and validation. 

Initially supported by early investments from like-minded HNIs, HyperHorizon has since become self-sustaining through project based revenues.

“We built the company to sustain itself through fully operational systems, that has been our approach from the start: build, prove, and deliver,” said Sibi. 

Looking Ahead

While defense remains their core focus, Hyper Horizon’s ambitions reach beyond it. 

The company is now developing subsea sensor nodes for long-term underwater surveillance and long-range underwater gliders for wide-area monitoring and research.

The founders are also working to bridge the talent gap in deep tech by launching an exclusive community for young engineers. It focuses on providing battlefield validated exposure on autonomous systems, helping build a stronger innovation pipeline in India.

“Our mission goes beyond defense,” says Sibi. “We want to design scalable, indigenous underwater systems that bring autonomy and adaptability to the forefront of maritime operations.”

Hyper Horizon represents a new generation of Indian deep-tech startups – practical, indigenous, and determined to solve tough engineering problems through real-world innovation.

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