India’s nuclear missile tracking ship was quietly commissioned into service in October last year, a report in the Economic Times says.

The secretive vessel, referred to as VC 11184, was under construction at Visakhapatnam’s Hindustan Shipyard since 2014. It can monitor missile launches by India’s adversaries, Pakistan and China, at long distances.

The project was under the supervision of the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), India’s technical intelligence agency, and was monitored directly by the Prime Minister’s Office and the National Security Advisor.

The ship had cleared trials in 2020. Its induction was delayed by a few months due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report adds. Harbour trials of the ocean surveillance ship began sometime in 2018.

It will be operated by a joint crew, which has personnel from the NTRO, the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Navy.

With the induction of the vessel into service, India has joined a small group of four countries — US, Russia, France and China — which operate similar vessels.

According to the report, the 15,000-tonne vessel is equipped with a surveillance system that has three dome-shaped antennas. The surveillance system has been put through extensive testing since 2018.

Apart from tracking missile launches by India’s adversaries, the ship will also be used for electronic intelligence (ELINT) and monitoring missile tests part of the under-development ballistic missile defence programme.

Missile Tracking Vessel

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