India Developing Sensor-Laden Ship To Track Long-Range Naval Missile Systems

India’s Defense Research Development Organization will get a ‘technology demonstration vessel’ to track the full flight of future long-range naval missile systems.

DRDO has assigned the job to construct the vessel for the purpose to the public sector Cochin Shipyard in the next three years, the Hindu news daily reported Saturday.

The project will feature a vessel fitted with an array of sensors and radars to track flight of long-range missiles during test-firing. It is believed to be worth Rs 365 crore and the agreement was signed between the yard and DRDO early August this year.

 “The DRDO and the Navy are in the forefront of indigenisation of maritime systems and several new naval missiles of varying range are being developed at the moment. Equipped with sensors, the ship will be deployed at sea to track the full flight path of longer range missiles that are under development,” the news daily quoted a top official as saying.

The original contract for construction of the vessel was signed with Bharati Shipyard, but time overruns forced by the yard’s poor finances led to termination of the contract with the penalty clause.

Subsequently, the Cochin Shipyard won the bid to execute the prestigious project.