India To Introduce Its First Nuclear Missile Tracking Ship ‘INS Dhruv’
India is all prepared to unveil the first, one-of-its-kind nuclear missile tracking ship – the INS Dhruv – today. It will be the country’s first naval vessel that is designed to track nuclear missiles at a long-range.
The INS Dhruv can also share warnings of attacks by ballistic missiles launched by either Pakistan or China. The satellite and ballistic missile tracking ships had been known by the code VC-11184. The 10,000 tonnes vessel would be playing a crucial role in advancing the country’s presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
The ship has been built in association with the NTRO and DRDO by the Hindustan Shipyard. It is to be commissioned from Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
INS Dhruv deploys DRDO-developed active scanned array radar, also known as the AESA that can scan and keep an eye on spy satellites that watch over India. It can also supervise missile tests.
INS Dhruv is capable of mapping ocean beds for research purposes and to detect all enemy submarines. The vessel will be monitoring seas to detect spy satellites. With Dhruv, the Navy would be able to monitor the region covering the Gulf of Aden to the South China Sea via Ombai, Sunda, Lombok, Malacca, and the Wetar straits.
As Pakistan and China are equipped with nuclear ballistic abilities and are locked in land disputes with India, the INS Dhruv will help Indian Navy to strategize military operations in an enhanced manner across the surface, aerial, and sub-surface domains – the key dimensions of naval warfare.
Following its induction, India’s Dhruv will soon be a part of an elite list of nations that currently comprise the US, France, the UK, China, and Russia who own and operate the ships.
Reference: hindustantimes.com
