India to Launch its First Satellite, Ballistic Missile Tracking Ship INS Dhruv Today: Report

India is all set to launch its first satellite and ballistic missile tracking ship Dhruv on Friday. The 10,000-tonne vessel will be commissioned from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, INS Dhruv will be commissioned in the presence of senior officials from the Indian Navy, the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), and the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), among others.

INS Dhruv, the latest addition to the Indian Navy’s arsenal, was built by the Hindustan Shipyard in collaboration with the DRDO and NTRO. The ship is equipped with multiple features that make it a state-of-the-art instrument in modern naval warfare.

Dhruv is India’s first naval vessel that is capable of tracking nuclear missiles at a long range, which assumes a special significance with an increasing threat of nuclear ballistic warfare in the Indo-Pacific region.

In addition to these, INS Dhruv is also equipped with the capability to map ocean beds for research and detection of enemy submarines.

INS Dhruv, with its state-of-the-art detection facilities, will also help the country’s defence and military researchers understand the true missile capability of the adversary when they test their ballistic missiles.

The Hindustan Times report said that with INS Dhruv on its side, the Indian Navy can now strategise its military operations better across all three dimensions of naval warfare – sub-surface, surface, and aerial. This is especially important since China has recently moved to a ‘sea-based military doctrine’ with huge investments in long-range aircraft carriers, warships, and submarines.

India’s nuclear missile tracking ship will be manned by Indian Navy personnel with the Strategic Forces Command (SFC). With the addition of INS Dhruv, India will join an elite list of countries that presently consists of only France, the US, the UK, Russia, and China, who possess and operate such vessels.

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