INS Dhruv

Not to be confused with HAL Dhruv, a helicopter manufactured by HAL.
INS Dhruv
History
India
NameDhruv
OperatorJointly operated by Indian Navy

National Technical Research Organisation

Defence Research and Development Organisation
BuilderHindustan Shipyard Limited
Cost₹1,500 crore (equivalent to ₹17 billion or US$200 million in 2023) (FY 2020)
Laid down30 June 2014
Acquired31 October 2020[1]
Commissioned10 September 2021
IdentificationPennant number: A40
StatusIn Service
General characteristics
TypeOcean surveillance and missile tracking ship
Displacement15,000 t (15,000 long tons) [2]
Length175 m (574 ft 2 in)
Beam22 m (72 ft 2 in)
Draught6 m (19 ft 8 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × diesel engines in CODAD, 9,000 kW (12,000 hp) each
  • 3 × auxiliary generators 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) each
  • 15 MW power
Speed21 kn (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement300
Sensors and
processing systems
  • X-Band AESA radar
  • S-Band AESA radar
Aircraft carried1 × helicopter

INS Dhruv (A40) is a research vessel and missile range instrumentation ship built by India's Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL). The ship was earlier only known by its shipyard designated yard number as VC-11184.[3]

The ship can gather electronic intelligence and will be used to track missile and satellites to aid India's strategic weapons and anti-ballistic missiles. It will be jointly operated by National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Navy. The development span of ships has remained largely secretive with little information in public domain. The ship reportedly started sea trials in early 2019,[4] and entered service in October 2020 without a public commissioning ceremony.[2] The ship was officially commissioned on 10 September 2021 at Visakhapatnam in the presence of senior officials from the Indian Navy, the DRDO and the NTRO.[5]

  1. ^ "Annual Report 2020-21" (PDF). Hindustan Shipyard Limited. 27 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ETMarch21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "VC 11184 — Indian Navy's First Ocean Surveillance Ship". www.indrastra.com. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  4. ^ Patnaik, Santosh (11 September 2018). "India's first missile tracking ship is readying for sea trials". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  5. ^ "INS Dhruv: India gets its first nuclear missile tracking ship today. Details here". Hindustan Times. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.