India has quietly commissioned its ballistic missile tracking vessel that had been under construction since 2014. According to Indian Economic Times, the VC11184 was commissioned in October last year in a ceremony that was not made public. It is revealed recently.
The purpose of the ship is to support the development of India’s strategic weapons and the Indian Ballistic Missile Defence Programme. In addition, it can also gather electronic intelligence. With the capability to monitor missile launches at long distances the ship will be a crucial part of the Indian national missile defense system.
At present, only the US, France, China and Russia operate similar vessels that are used to track missile launches at sea. The vessel will be able to monitor India’s developmental trials of missiles of greater range than ever before — virtually unlimited due to its ability to traverse the oceans.
VC11184 is the designation of the missile-tracking ocean surveillance ship. She was constructed by the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL). The name of the ship is not publicized yet.
Besides, it will have the ability to detect launches by adversaries, giving India an early warning capability. The 15,000-tonne ship, which has specialized surveillance systems of three dome-shaped antennas packed with sensors, has been extensively tested since 2018 by the joint team. The vessel will generate over 14 MW of power just to power up its tracking radars, which will have multiple roles from tracking enemy missiles to accurate. The ship cost around ₹1,500 crores (equivalent to US$207 million) and has been designed in India by Vik Sandvik Design India.
VC11184 Characteristics:
| Builder: | Hindustan Shipyard Limited |
| Type: | Ocean Surveillance Ship |
| Displacement: | 15,000 t (15,000 long tons; 17,000 short tons) |
| Length: | 175 m (574 ft) |
| Beam: | 22 m (72 ft) |
| Speed: | 21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
| Complement: | 300 |
Check out Naval Library App to find out the specifications of the VC11184.
