India joins league of nations with missile tracking vessel
This image shows the missile tracking ship INS Dhruv during construction at HSL’s shipyard. (Photo: HSL)
India now possesses its first missile tracking vessel, which had been laid down in 2014.
INS Dhruv, India’s first missile tracking and ocean surveillance ship, was believed to be formally commissioned at the government-owned Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) in Visakhapatnam on 10 September.
Under a programme designated ‘VC11184’, India has become the fifth nation to possess such a naval capability.
Sea trials were completed in 2019, and the 15,000t ship entered service without fanfare last year. Shephard understands that a formal commissioning announcement was delayed due to internal strife between the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Navy (IN) as to who would be in control of the vessel.
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