India's first missile tracking ship being built at Hindustan Shipyard Limited is in an advanced stage of construction. The project’s objective is to provide a robust cover to India’s nuclear missile shield. The missile is expected to enter Indian Navy for New Year, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Indian Navy future tracking ship (Picture source: Wikipedia)
The project which was launched in 2014 directly under the supervision of the National Technical Research Organisation, the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Advisor are being undertaken without a name due to secrecy attached to it.
There isn't a lot to say about this topmost secret project entailing strict confidentiality but the Hindu does report that the project has cost a total of 100 million so far and that it will be named after its induction into the Indian Navy. For now, it is simply referred to as VC 11184. Unknown sources told The Hindu that the progress, so far, was very encouraging and after some more sea trials and installation of certain facilities.
The objectives of the ship are two-fold. First, is to track missiles using the two sensors on-board, the X-Band AESA primary radar and S-Band AESA secondary radar. And, the second, is to gather electronic intelligence. The VC 11184 has been built in order to provide a robust shield to India’s nuclear missile shield,
Powered by two diesel engines, the VC11184 can carry a crew of 300 members and has a large deck which can accommodate a helicopter landing and multiple missile tracking antennas. It will have a displacement capacity of 10,000 tonnes with a speed limit of 26 knots. Basin trials were already successful a while ago. The ship's also equipped with hi-tech gadgets and communication equipment.
Hindustan Shipyard Ltd., strategically located on the East Coast of the Indian peninsula, at Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, is the nation’s premier shipbuilding organization catering to the needs of shipbuilding, ship repairs, submarine construction and refits as well as design and construction of sophisticated state-of-the-art offshore and onshore structures.
