With the induction of the ocean surveillance ship, India will join a select league of nations to have this capability. Currently, only the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and France have this capability.
India is set to induct the Dhruv surveillance ship next week, which can track nuclear missiles and satellites from a distance.
The indigenously-built 15,000-ton ocean surveillance ship is equipped with active electronically scanned array radars.
The Rs 730 crore ship will help India collect accurate data on adversaries' missile range and capabilities. It would be able to detect ballistic missile test launches carried out by other nations.
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Besides tracking nuclear missiles, Dhruv, with a crew of 300 personnel on board, will also be deployed for scanning the ocean beds for research and tracking down hostile submarines.
The ship was originally supposed to be commissioned into the Indian Navy in March this year but had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak.
Since 2018, the ship has been undergoing a series of tests and sea trials.
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Built by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited at Visakhapatnam, the ship has been developed with the help of the DRDO and Indian Navy with India's Strategic Force Command and National Technical Research Organisation
With the induction of the ocean surveillance ship, India will join a select league of nations to have this capability. Currently, only the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and France have this capability.
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