“शं नो वरुणः” (Sham No Varunah)—“May the Lord of the Oceans be auspicious unto us”—is not just the motto of the Indian Navy; it is a timeless invocation of courage, vigilance, and duty. While divine blessings guide our naval forces, we, as a nation, are truly blessed to be safeguarded by them. Behind their extraordinary service lie two powerful pillars: Innovation and Collaboration.
Innovation: The Path to Self-Reliance
For any nation, innovation is the foundation of long-term indigenization. India’s naval journey reflects this spirit. A landmark moment came in 1954 with the establishment of the Directorate of Naval Construction, driven by a bold vision: to build a “Builder’s Navy” rather than a “Buyer’s Navy.”
Since then, the Indian Navy (IN) has led the country’s innovation efforts — indigenizing platforms, sensors, systems, and weapons. From the commissioning of INS Nilgiri in June 1972 to the commissioning of the 100th indigenously built warship in July 2025, the Navy has demonstrated how technological strength, national capability, and strategic foresight can shape a modern maritime force.
Remarkably, the Directorate of Naval Design was among the first Indian institutions to adopt digital engineering tools. As early as the mid-1980s, they embraced Dassault Systèmes CATIA for 3D design of ships and submarines, marking the beginning of a 40-year relationship between Dassault Systèmes, the Indian Navy, and its broader ecosystem.
Collaboration: The Strength Behind Every Success
If innovation is the engine, then collaboration is the force that propels the Indian Navy forward. The Navy has mastered the art of bringing together a vast and diverse ecosystem — public-sector shipyards, private shipbuilders, MSMEs, startups, R&D laboratories, academic institutions, classification societies, and global technology partners.
This collaborative model ensures that every stakeholder contributes meaningfully to a shared mission, operating with transparency, trust, and unified objectives. This collective strength has enabled India to build cutting-edge warships, submarines, and naval infrastructure with remarkable speed and quality. Dassault Systèmes has been privileged to play its part in this collaborative journey, providing digital continuity and unified platforms that bring all partners together seamlessly.
A Unified Digital Platform for Naval Superiority
Reflecting on this four-decade-long partnership, Dassault Systèmes solutions has its presence in the Naval ecosystem across three major domains:
- Infrastructure – Enhancing shipbuilding facilities with modern digital capabilities
- Design, Construction, and Maintenance – Enabling efficient lifecycle management of ships
- Classification & Certification – Ensuring rigorous compliance with global naval standards
At the heart of this transformation is the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, a leading advanced shipbuilding solution built on a unified data model, enabling Virtual Twins for design, manufacturing, governance, and maintenance.
Modernizing the Shipbuilding Ecosystem
As naval missions with its multi-dimensional warfare are growing more complex, and the need for digital transformation becomes imperative and mission-critical. Dassault Systèmes empowers shipyards and defense organizations to accelerate innovation by ensuring:
- Digital continuity across functions and disciplines
- Seamless, secure collaboration among cross-functional teams
- Virtual twin–powered decision-making
- Robust governance across every stage of the vessel lifecycle
By integrating 3D modeling, simulation, engineering, and data management into a single collaborative environment, shipbuilders can boost productivity, reduce lifecycle costs, and accelerate the delivery of next-generation vessels.
Enhancing Naval Capabilities – Modernizing the Shipbuilding Ecosystem
Building a modern naval fleet requires more than advanced engineering — it demands an integrated digital ecosystem where design, production, testing, maintenance, and governance work in harmony. Dassault Systèmes brings this cohesion to the Indian naval ecosystem through Virtual Twin technology and model-based engineering practices. By unifying shipbuilders, designers, suppliers, and operators on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, we enable faster decision-making, greater accuracy, and a transformative shift from reactive operations to predictive, data-driven readiness. This digital foundation empowers the Navy and its partners to innovate quickly, reduce risks, and deliver superior vessels with confidence.
- Accelerate Naval Vessel Delivery: Streamline design, engineering, systems integration, and production to reduce lead time and meet mission-critical deadlines.
- Enable Secure, Real-Time Collaboration: Bring multidisciplinary teams, suppliers, regulators, and defense stakeholders together on a unified digital platform.
- Ensure Compliance and Traceability: Leverage MBSE, advanced simulations, and structured documentation to satisfy rigorous naval standards with full project traceability.
- Reduce Lifecycle and Maintenance Costs: Use predictive analytics and Virtual Twins to optimize maintenance, minimize downtime, and reduce lifetime costs.
- Enhance Operational Readiness: Improve fleet sustainment, asset monitoring, and performance analysis by maintaining a continuous digital thread throughout the lifecycle.
- Empower the Next-Generation Workforce: Offer immersive training, collaborative design tools, and modern digital environments to attract and develop future naval talent.
Building India’s Future Fleet in the Virtual World
As India charts its course toward a fully self-reliant, technologically superior Blue Water naval force, digital transformation becomes a strategic imperative. The Indian Navy’s legacy of bravery and innovation deserves the most modern, unified and intelligent tools available.
Dassault Systèmes is proud to support this vision by creating Virtual Worlds for Real Life Heroes — helping shipyards design better, enabling sailors to train smarter, and empowering the nation to defend stronger.
On this 53rd Anniversary of Indian Navy, we salute every sailor, designer, engineer, technologist, and innovator who stands behind India’s maritime strength. Together, through innovation and collaboration, we can build the future fleet — first in the virtual world, then for the real world.
Author: Navdeep Singh ARSHI – Industry Leader – Defence, Marine & Offshore – Dassault Systèmes India
Navdeep Singh ARSHI with over 15 years of experience in the Aerospace and Defense sector, currently serves as a Sales Manager, Aerospace & Defense at Dassault Systèmes. His key competencies include – identifying new opportunities, interfacing with prospects, developing and implementing business & customer acquisition strategies to achieve and sustain business growth and long-term asset development.
He is proficient in establishing and maintaining relationships with key accounts, understanding requirements, and suggesting solutions in line with the procurement policy guidelines. He is skilled in collaborating with various government bodies, defense public sector organizations and industry associations.
His in-depth knowledge in government policies on capital procurement in defense as well as steering processes in line with the assigned defense procurement procedure ensures his effectiveness in production, business development, sales & marketing, executing strategic plans to ensure enhanced revenue generation in the defense business.
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